Carolina Willow Salix caroliniana

Carolina Willow is a deciduous tree that may grow to 20 feet tall. The leaves are alternate with a toothed margin, hairy stem, and pale-white underside. The bark is gray and smooth with scattered warts and horizontal lenticels. In spring, small, yellow flowers mature in great numbers. The small tree produces an egg-shaped capsule that matures in the summer.

The Coastal Plain Willow grows well in nutrient-poor soil.  It does well in wet areas like thickets and swamps and is right at home along a stream bank or next to a pond. In nature, it can be found growing near riverbanks, sandbars, interdune ponds, canal banks, and other wet sites. It grows near salt water, so has moderate salt spray tolerance but needs to be protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.  It is not drought tolerant and requires consistently moist soils.  It can be grown from seed or cuttings, including root cuttings.

While it bares similarity to the also native Black Willow, the two species can be told apart by the leaves– S. caroliniana has wider leaves and a whitish underside.

The Carolina willow serves as a food source for the larvae of several butterflies, including Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiiopa), Red spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax),and  Eastern comma (Polygonia comma).  It is also a host for the Automeris io (Fabricius) moth.

Live stakes often available.

More information on Salix.