Salix exigua var. exigua

Narrow-leaved willow, coyote willow, Coyote Willow

Family: Salicaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Narrow-leaved willow is a California native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert, and Mono Plateaus along shorelines, river bars, and gravelly areas at elevations below 2,800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces small, delicate flowers with soft, silky catkins. Growing with multiple slender stems 1 to 3 meters tall, it forms dense thickets in riparian zones. Its leaves are characterized by petioles densely covered in short, spreading hairs and blades with long, soft, silky undersides that appear wavy or straight. The small capsule-like fruits measure 4 to 8 millimeters in length, contributing to its ability to colonize disturbed riverside habitats.

Habitat: Common. Shores, bars, silt, sand, gravel

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: SN, MP, D

California counties: Inyo, Riverside, Mono, Imperial, Tehama, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, San Diego, Los Angeles, Humboldt, Plumas

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.