Also known as almond willow, this fast-growing, deciduous tree has yellowish-green leaves similar in shape to those of almond or peach trees. This distinctive aspect adds to its aesthetic appeal. It grows up to 65’ tall with a rounded crown of large, ascending branches and smaller, drooping branches that are shiny and yellow. Like other willows, it’s a water lover that will not do well in dry areas or heavy clay. It thrives in moist to wet conditions with loamy, silty, or sandy soils. Willows are considered a keystone plant in many ecosystems because they serve as host plants for hundreds of Lepidoptera species, which provide the foundation of the entire food web. The flowers appear in early spring, attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, providing critical early nutrition.
Native to most of the US, peachleaf willow is one of the largest tree species of the northern plains, with a dense, shallow root system that makes it popular for erosion control and restoration projects. It’s also a dominant species in many riparian ecosystems, i.e., land along bodies of water. In such an ecosystem, willows perform several important functions. The root system filters shallow groundwater, trapping sediment and nutrients from surface runoff, preventing them from entering waterways. The roots also absorb floodwaters, releasing them slowly over time to minimize flood damage, and they stabilize and create overhanging banks to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. The tree canopy provides shade for the same organisms.
Willow trees have very flexible twigs and branches, a quality that is invaluable to basket weavers and other crafters. Weavers know to gather the branches in autumn rather than spring, when the sap begins to rise. They often replant some of the pruned stems to grow straight basketry materials for the following year. DIYers appreciate willows’ rapid growth and supple branches because each tree can supply heaps of cut branches for creating a wattle fence.
Native habitats include low woods, marshes, banks of streams and ponds, prairies, and roadside gullies. Use along bodies of water, in large rain gardens, or in any moist area of the landscape.
Plant Characteristics:
Reaches up to 65’ tall and 25-35’ wide.
Grows in full or part sun. Doesn’t tolerate full shade.
Prefers moist to wet, sandy, silty, or gravelly soils and tolerates poor drainage. Doesn’t tolerate dry conditions or heavy clay.
Spiky catkins appear April-May on tips of branchlets. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. Male catkins are 1-3” long with flowers arranged in whorls around the stalk. Female catkins are slender and slightly longer with pear-shaped flowers. Pear-shaped, ¼” fruit capsules split in half to release seeds with cottony tufts.
Alternate, elliptical, slightly glossy leaves are 2-5” long with yellowish green surfaces and paler, whitish undersides. The pointed tip often has a slender, tail-like extension. Edges are finely serrated. New leaves are shiny, yellowish green and have crinkly, white hairs that disappear with age.
Usually forms 2’ single trunk (occasionally multi trunked) with an erect, leaning, or prostrate form and shallow root system. Older bark is gray with deep furrows and flat ridges. Branches are yellow to reddish brown.
Wildlife Value:
Plants in the Salix genus host the larvae of 328 species of Lepidoptera, including the moths locust underwing (shown here), pale beauty and connected dagger. Deer, rabbits, and beavers browse the plant, while several bird species eat the buds and young twigs. Its early bloom time provides bees, butterflies, and other pollinators much needed access to nourishment as they emerge from their overwintering sites. Willows are a food source for several species of specialized bees that feed on a narrow range of plants. They are valued by songbirds, waterfowl, and game birds for cover. If sited along waterways, they also help aquatic life by reducing soil runoff.
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
In the time of Hippocrates, willow bark was chewed to relieve inflammation and fever and is still in use today in some parts of the world for headaches and other types of pain. Salicin, a phytochemical found naturally in willow bark, was used in the 1800’s to develop aspirin and is thought to be responsible for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. Slower to act than aspirin, its effects are reported to last longer.
The Ojibwe used peachleaf willow bark to treat skin rashes.
A natural rooting-hormone tea can be made from actively growing young twigs of willows. To make, remove the leaves and cut the twigs into 1” pieces. Pour boiling water over the twigs and allow to stand overnight. Alternatively, allow the brew to stand for several days to several weeks--the longer it stands, the more of the natural rooting compound will leach into the water. Remove the twigs and place your cuttings directly into the undiluted “tea.”