Salix laevigata

Red willow, Red Willow

Family: Salicaceae · Type: tree · Native

Red willow is a California native tree found in riverbanks, seepage areas, and lakeshores across California's central and coastal regions at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from December to June, this tree produces delicate catkins with yellow or white flowers. Growing up to 20 meters tall with brittle branches, it features distinctive yellow- or red-brown twigs that become increasingly smooth with age. Its leaves are strap-shaped to lanceolate, measuring 53 to 190 millimeters long, with finely crenate edges and dense white or rusty-white undersides. The tree's young branches are notably hairy, with leaf petioles featuring small glands and leaves that range from white-hairy to glabrous with time.

Habitat: Common. Riverbanks, seepage areas, lakeshores (subalkaline or brackish), canyons

Bloom period: Dec-Jun

Elevation: < 1700 m

Bioregions: CA (exc MP, DSon)

California counties: Lake, San Diego, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Contra Costa, San Bernardino, Mendocino, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura, Butte, Imperial, Solano, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Riverside, Santa Clara, Plumas, Monterey, Inyo, Madera, Alameda, Tulare, Yolo, Calaveras, Nevada, El Dorado, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Tuolumne, Sutter, Napa, San Mateo, Sacramento, Merced, Tehama, Mariposa, Amador, Mono, Colusa, Placer, Marin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Glenn, Yuba, Sierra, San Francisco, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Alpine, Lassen

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