FNPS Plant Database

Salix caroliniana

Carolina willow, coastalplain willow
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Carolina willow, coastalplain willow

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Salix caroliniana

Family:

Salicaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

25-60 ft tall by 20-40 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Fruits, Interesting Bark

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Casual lanscapes, moist areas, rain gardens or bioswales. This tree can be attractive most of the year due to its fairly fine leaves. It is at its best for a brief period in early spring when it blooms (yellow) and then sets masses of white fruit at a time when little else is blooming. Will tolerate root disturbance and flooding.

Considerations:

Weak wood, easily broken.

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings. Will send up numerous sprouts from stumps.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

Aquatic -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars

Larval host plant for Viceroy ( Basilarchia archippus ). 





The species is wind pollinated, but bees harvest pollend from the male flowers.  Observed species include  Dialictus nymphalis and D. tegularis (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Native Habitats:

Swamps, marshes, floodplains, glades around gator holes. Open, wet, sunny areas.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Willow stems have been used for basketry and other woven wood structures such as fences and furniture. Willow sap contains salicylic acid, which is a natural ingredient of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).

General Comments:

While generally a swamp plant, this tree can grow in uplands.  Stems root readily and most of the stems stuck in a moist substrate will survive without any further care. Is often used in stream bank restoration.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Deyrup, Mark, Jay Edirisinghe, and Beth Norden. (2002). The diversity and floral hosts of bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Insecta Mundi, 544. ( https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/544/ ). Accessed 2026. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.


Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Carolina willow [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Salicaro ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


North Carolina State Extension. (Undated). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. ( https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ ). North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, NC.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update