Goodding's Black Willow, Salix gooddingii

About Goodding's Black Willow (Salix gooddingii) 15 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Goodding's Black Willow (Salix gooddingii) is a common native tree that grows throughout the state in wetland areas. It has a moderate growth rate and is moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 15-40 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are green and bloom in the early spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in streamsides, at elevations from sea level to 2,000 feet. It performs in a wide variety of locations, from the south coast to the central valley and perennial streams in desert areas. It tolerates some alkalinity and salinity as well as generally poor water quality. Due to its size and water requirements, this is not a common garden tree but is useful in restoration projects, bioswales, and other constructed wetlands. Like other willows it is an important wildlife plant.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

15 - 40 ft tall
25 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate, Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Green

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.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 177 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulusPapilio rutulus

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopaNymphalis antiopa

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Aglais milbertiAglais milberti

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrusPolygonia satyrus

Two-Tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudataPapilio multicaudata

Green Comma Polygonia faunusPolygonia faunus

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Keep moist

Nurseries

Carried by 15

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is present. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

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

Companion Plants

Use with other wetland-riparian plants appropriate to the planting locations, including Maple (Acer sp.), Alder (Alnus sp.), Ash (Fraxinus sp.), Cottonwood (Populus sp.), Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia), Dogwood (Cornus sp.), Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.), wild Rose (Rosa sp.), Blackberry (Rubus sp.), and wild grape (Vitis californica or girdiana)

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?

5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Streamsides, marshes, seepage places, washes, meadows

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 2.4" - 62.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 2.68", Coldest Month: 17.5" - 61.6", Hottest Month: 36.4" - 89.7", Humidity: 0.46" - 47.39", Elevation: -216" - 14166"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Goodding's Willow

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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

Goodding's Black Willow

Salix gooddingii

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Goodding's Black WillowSalix gooddingii

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Goodding's Black Willow

Salix gooddingii