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| ## sandbar willow {#sandbar-willow .Title-Header}                     |
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| *Salix exigua* Nutt.                                                  |
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| Plant Symbol = SAEX                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Sandbar Willow (Salix
exigua)](media/image2.png){width="2.2708661417322835in"
height="3.395669291338583in"}

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

narrowleaf willow

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

[Erosion control]{.underline}: Sandbar willow is used for streambank and
lake shore stabilization and riparian area development or restoration.
It is recommended for deep wet lowland, overflow areas, wet meadow
sites, streambanks, lake shores, and other areas with a high water
table.

[Wildlife]{.underline}: This plant is provides wood and shelter for many
game birds and forage for deer.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Weediness {#weediness .Header-3}

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and
may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please
consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service
office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding
its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS
Web site at plants.usda.gov.

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Salix exigua* Nutt.*,* sandbar willow, is a common native suckering
shrub 3 to 20 feet high found throughout the Northern Great Plains and
the Northeast US. It quickly forms thickets on sand or gravel deposits
along streams, roadside ditches, sloughs, and other places frequent to
flooding. Branchlets are reddish brown, smooth or nearly so. Leaves are
2 to 5 inches long, narrowly lance-shaped, and pointed at both ends,
with margins that have shallow, widely spaced teeth; they are green and
smooth on both surfaces or sometimes silvery-silky. Leafstalks are very
short and stipules, if present, are very small. This shrub is dioecious,
so male and female flowers are produced by separate plants.

Sandbar willow leaves are very narrow with serrated leaf edges. The leaf
edges of purpleosier willow are not serrated, and the leaf width is
greater. Also, purpleosier willow does not form thickets.

Note: sandbar willow is an aggressive spreader and this should be
considered when selecting materials for a given site. It can spread off
of the streambank to other sites under favorable circumstances.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Sandbar willow is adapted to sandy soils in stream, river, and shoreline
sites, it is not well adapted to other sites.

Sandbar willow is distributed primarily throughout the West. For a
current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Planting 1-0 rooted cuttings or unrooted cuttings are both effective
planting methods. The un-rooted cuttings should be used where moisture
conditions are good. On droughty sites, the rooted cuttings are
preferred. Plant rooted cuttings using techniques that are common to
bare root seedlings. Un-rooted cuttings should be at least 12 inches
long, with the lower 10 inches buried vertically in the sand. Plant
spacing of 2x2 to 4x4 work well.

Sandbar willow is also planted in soil bioengineering systems. It should
be planted in mixtures with other species such as 'Streamco' and
'Bankers' willows and 'Ruby' dogwood for live fascines, brush layers and
brush mattress.

Under-seeding with a cool season grass mixture is recommended.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Once sandbar willow is planted, it requires little care. Blowouts along
the stream should be addressed when they occur and repaired.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

This willow is susceptible to twig cankers, tar spot, aphids, willow
galls, and scale insects.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

**'**Greenbank' is the only Northeastern cultivar. It was released for
commercial production by the Big Flats PMC in 1996. 'Greenbank' is a
male clone. It was selected from field testing of several clones, and
provided stronger growth over a wide range of conditions.

The cultivar 'Silver Sands' was released by the Bismarck (ND) PMC for
use in the Northern Great Plains.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Northeast Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060817 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060817-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*