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| ## Pacific Willow {#pacific-willow .Title-Header}                     |
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| *Salix lucida* Muhl. ssp. *lasiandra* (Benth.) E. Murr.               |
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| Plant Symbol = SALUL                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

# Alternative Names

yellow willow, red willow, black willow, whiplash willow, golden willow,
caudate willow, western black willow, waxy willow, western shining
willow, *Salix lasiandra* (SALA5)

# Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: The inner bark was dried, ground into a powder, and then
added to flour for making bread. The stems and bark were used in basket
making (Moerman 1998). The native Americans used the stems for bow
making and the bark for fabric making and tea.

*Medicinal*: Willows produce salicin, which is closely related to
acetylsalicyclic acid, commonly known as aspirin. Various preparations
from willows are used to treat stomachache, sore throats, colds,
diarrhea, and dandruff. The inner bark is haemostatic and has been
applied externally to bleeding cuts (Moerman 1998).

*Landscaping & Wildlife*: Pacific willow is an excellent species for use
in landscaping. It provides food and cover for many wildlife species.
Deer and elk browse the young shoots of the plant. It is also a
preferred food of mouse and cattle.

*Agroforestry*: *Salix lasiandra* is used in tree strips for windbreaks.
They are planted and managed to protect livestock, enhance production,
and control soil erosion. Windbreaks can help communities with harsh
winter conditions better handle the impact of winter storms and reduce
home heating costs during the winter months.

# Status

# Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General*: Pacific willow (*Salix lasiandra*) is a tall, slender, large
shrub or small tree, fifteen to forty-five feet high (McMinn & Maino
1963). The leaves are long, thin, shiny, five to ten centimeters long
with finely

toothed edges. The fruits are thick catkins that are hairless, light
reddish-brown, and six to eight millimeters long. The bark is furrowed
with broad flat scaly plates.

*Distribution*: Pacific willow is native along stream banks from British
Columbia southward to southern California and New Mexico (McMinn & Maino
1963). For current distribution, please consult the Plant profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

# Adaptation

*Salix lasiandra* is a fast growing but short-lived tree. This species
prefers a damp heavy soil but will succeed in most soils. This species
is often found in riverbanks, floodplains, lakeshores, and wet meadows
often standing in quiet river backwaters (MacKinnon, Pojar, & Coupe\'
1992). It grows best in a sunny position scattered at low elevations
along major rivers (Ibid.).

# Establishment

*Propagation from Seed*: Seeds must be sown as soon as they are ripe in
the spring. Seeds are viable for only a few days and the maximum storage
period is four to six weeks with germination rates dropping off fast
after ten days at room temperature (Dirr & Heuser 1987). Willow seeds
have no dormancy and germinate within twelve to twenty-four hours after
falling on moist ground (Ibid.). Seedbeds must be kept moist until
seedlings are well established.

*Propagation from Cuttings*: Hardwood cuttings can be collected and
prepared for insertion, normally from November through March. Cuttings
seven to ten inches long and a half to one inch thick are initially
stuck close and dug after one year (Dirr & Heuser 1987). Willows have a
rooting percentage of ninety to one-hundred percent and the rooting
number is not promoted by rooting hormones (Ibid.).

# Management

Pacific willow is used to colonize disturbed sites for streambank
stabilization projects. Cuttings are used for revegetating disturbed
riparian areas to extract soil moisture and high amounts of
carbohydrates.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Available from wetland plant nurseries within its range. Contact your
local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation
Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under
"United States Government." The Natural Resources Conservation Service
will be listed under the subheading "Department of Agriculture."

# References

Britton, N.L. 1908. *North American trees*. Henry Holt & Company, New
York, New York

Dirr, M.A. & C.W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. *The reference manual of woody plant
propagation: from seed to tissue culture*. Varsity Press, Athens,
Georgia.

Farrar, J.L. 1995. *Trees of the northern United States and Canada*.
Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.

Howell, J.T. 1949. *Marin Flora: manual of the flowering plants and
ferns of Marin County, California*. University of California Press,
Berkeley & Los Angeles, California.

MacKinnon, A., J. Pojar, & R. Coupe´ 1992. *Plants of the northern
British Columbia*. Lone Pine Publishing, Canada.

McMinn, H.E. & E. Maino 1963. *An illustrated manual of Pacific Coast
trees*. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.

Moerman, D. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press, Oregon.

Pojar, J & A. MacKinnon 1994. *Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast:
Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska*. Lone Pine Publishing,
Redmond, Washington.

Preston, R.J., Jr., 1989. *North American trees*. 4^th^ ed. Iowa State
University Press, Ames, Iowa.

Rehder, A. 1990. *Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs: hardy in North
America*. 2^nd^ ed. Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon.

Sargent, C.S. 1961. *Manual of the trees of North America*. Vol. 1.
Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York.

Viereck, L.A. & E.L. Little, Jr. 1972. A*laska trees and shrubs*. United
States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook No. 410.
Washington, D.C.

Vines, R.A. 1960. *Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the southwest*.
University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.

# Prepared By & Species Coordinator

## *Lincoln M. Moore* 

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 29jan03 jsp; 09jun03 ahv; 060816 jsp

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/)\>

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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
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