Red Willow, Salix laevigata

About Red Willow (Salix laevigata) 34 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Red Willow ( Salix laevigata) is one of the most common riparian trees in California, usually growing in or very near creeks, at elevations from 0 to 5000 feet. It is an extremely fast-growing tree; ifit gets plenty of water, it may grow up to about 50 feet in height, and often more than 50 feet in width, within 10 years.

The bark is ridged and grayish, though it sometimes turns reddish with age. Its form is variable, but it will often grow from multiple winding trunks, some more or less straight up, and some growing out far away from the base, even horizontally, and laying along the creek bottom before growing upwards again.

Twigs are reddish and flexible when young. Leaves are 3 to 4 inches long, lanceolate, shiny green on top, and dull whitish green underneath. This tree is mostly deciduous during the winter but may start growing back leaves early during warm snaps in the winter.

Yellow flowers grow in drooping catkins. In female red willows, the catkins turn into tufts of cottony seeds, which are windborne, often in large quantities, for 2 to 3 weeks in the spring.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

30 - 50 ft tall
30 - 50 ft wide

Form

Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Semi-Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Cream, Yellow, Red

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Bees, butterflies
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 216 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopaNymphalis antiopa

Sallow Button Acleris hastianaAcleris hastiana

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulusPapilio rutulus

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Aglais milbertiAglais milberti

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrusPolygonia satyrus

Two-Tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudataPapilio multicaudata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 34

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -20 - 10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Heavy, moist soils. Soil PH: 6 - 8

Common uses

Bogs and Ponds, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Western Sycamore, Arroyo Willow, Black Willow, Sandbar WIllow, Coast Live Oak, Yerba Mansa

Maintenance

Ants and aphids are attracted to Red Willows, though they seldom really hurt the health of this tough plant.. Tolerates heavy pruning. Can often be cut back to the ground and will quickly resprout.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment. Use fresh seeds (usually only viable a few days). Seeds should not be covered or pressed into a medium. Seedbed should be kept saturated for the first month. Easily propagated from cuttings.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Creeks or damp areas

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.2" - 70.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.61", Coldest Month: 29.2" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 53.6" - 87.7", Humidity: 0.18" - 41.19", Elevation: -11" - 8418"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Polished Willow

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Red Willow

Salix laevigata

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Red WillowSalix laevigata

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Red Willow

Salix laevigata