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Sandbar Willow
Salix exigua
  
About Sandbar Willow (Salix exigua) 23 Nurseries Carry This Plant Salix exigua (Sandbar Willow) is a deciduous shrub reaching 13 to 23 feet in height. The leaves are narrow, green, to grayish with silky white hairs when young. The flowers emerge as yellow or white catkins in late spring, after the leaves appear. The fruit is a cluster of capsules, each containing numerous minute seeds embedded in shiny white silk.

Like most willows, Sandbar Willow it is moisture-loving. It will tolerate a variety of soils and poor drainage. It grows in full sun and spreads by shoots to form dense colonies so it will eventually spread to occupy any wet soil that it can reach. Use with other wetland trees, shrubs and grasses.

It is host to a wide variety of pollinators, including butterflies, moths, and some gall-forming wasps. Some birds, such as the Least Bell's Vireo and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, prefer to nest in large, dense willow thickets.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree, Shrub

Size
Size
10 - 23 ft tall

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate, Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
Plants in the genus Salix are host to a wide variety of pollinators including the Dreamy Duskywing, Viceroy, Lorquin's Admiral, Wiedemeyer's Admiral, Mourning Cloak, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Sylvan Hairstreak, various moths, and some gall-forming wasps. Some birds, such as the Least Bell's Vireo and Southwetern Willow Flycatcher, prefer to nest in large, dense willow thickets.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Slow, Standing

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of various soils as long as there is abundant moisture available. Soil PH: 5.5 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bogs and Ponds, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use in constantly wet area with other wetland-riparian trees and shrubs such as Maples (Acer sp.), Alders (Alnus sp.), Dogwood (Cornus sp.), California Walnut (Juglans californica or hindsii), Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), Cottonwood (Populus sp.), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.), wild Rose (Rosa sp.), and wild grape (Vitis californica or girdiana). Also works well with various wetland grasses and grass-like plants such as Sedges (Carex sp.), Spikerush (Eleocharis sp.), Rushes (Juncus sp.), and Alkali Sacaton (Sporobolus airoides)

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Use fresh seeds (usually only viable a few days). Seeds should not be covered or pressed into a medium. Seedbed should be kept saturated for the first month. Easily propogated from cuttings.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Streamsides, marshes, pond margins, drainage ditches, and other wet areas

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 2.4" - 93.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.39", Coldest Month: 23.6" - 61.6", Hottest Month: 44.8" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.09" - 42.81", Elevation: -198" - 10807"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Coyote Willow, Desert Willow, Narrowleaf Willow


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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