Similar species: This hybrid bears the pointed bud characteristic of its parents, but differs from Salix nigra by having over 1.5 cm wide, very lance- egg-shaped, longer-tapering leaves. It also lacks the longer leafstalks and waxy lower leaf surfaces of S. amygdaloides. For reference, the leafstalks of S. nigra are mostly about 0.5 cm long but no more than 1 cm long, while those of S. amygdaloides are rarely less than 1 cm long (commonly 1.5 cm or more). Unfortunately, leaf waxiness can be lost in the drying process, so distinctions can be difficult to determine in herbarium material.

Flowering: April to May

Habitat and ecology: Occasionally occurs in moist, degraded areas throughout the Chicago Region.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Etymology: Salix is the Latin word for willow.

Author: The Morton Arboretum