Sandbar Willow
Salix exigua
Poplar-Willow family (Salicaceae)

This very common narrow-leaved willow commonly forms dense, single-species stands. Coyote Willow often grows in narrow bands along watercourses, and like many willows, is a pioneer species that establishes itself on newly exposed gravel bars. Exact species identification for most willows is difficult, requiring monitoring the plant for various characteristics (timing of flower and leaf development, size and shape of catkin, size and shape of mature leaves and mature capsules, etc.) through the growing season. Salix exigua is, however, one of the easier species to identify and remember. "Exigua" is Latin for "short," as the plant typically grows to just two or three meters tall, but it can grow to ten meters tall. Thomas Nuttall collected the first specimens of this plant for science in 1834 on the banks of the Columbia Rover.

Description

Deciduous shrub, 6-15' tall, that grows in thickets on various moist soils. Leaves alternate, long, and linear with fine gray hair on upper and lower surfaces. At lower elevations, leaves are shiny green on top and slightly lighter beneath. At higher elevations, leaves are often gray-green with fine gray hairs on both surfaces. Generally, male and female catkins are on different plants.

Field Marks

Simple gray-green to shiny green linear leaves, near water.

© Al Schneider