Stipules on vigorous shoots persist until autumn. Male and female flowers are borne separately in catkins on different trees. The Patowatomi Indians made a fine scarlet dye from the roots of this tree. A tea brewed from the roots and bark was used as a substitute for quinine by the pioneers. Even today, willow charcoal is frequently used for manufacturing gunpowder.
Willow wood is soft, light, and weak but highly resistant to splintering and splitting.
It is used for crates, charcoal, and artificial limbs.