Salix humilis

prairie willow, dwarf willow

Salicaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

4 ft

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Background shrub.

Considerations:

Fast growing, short-lived.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam, Organic

Suitable to Grow In:

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals



  • The catkins of Prairie Willow attract primarily small bees and flies (harvest pollen), wind pollinated.


  • Caterpillars of Limenitis archippus  (Viceroy) feed on the leaves of willows.


Early season food for some wildlife.  Provides cover and nesting areas for birds.

Native Habitats:

Swamps, stream banks, sand and gravel bars, ditches, wet thickets.