FNPS Plant Database

Salix humilis

prairie willow, dwarf willow

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

prairie willow, dwarf willow

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Salix humilis

Family:

Salicaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

4 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Background shrub.

Considerations:

Fast growing, short-lived.

Availability:

Propagation:

Cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Circum-neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

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



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

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals



  • The catkins of Prairie Willow attract primarily small bees and flies (harvest pollen), wind pollinated.


  • Caterpillars of Limenitis archippus  (Viceroy) feed on the leaves of willows.


Early season food for some wildlife.  Provides cover and nesting areas for birds.

Native Habitats:

Swamps, stream banks, sand and gravel bars, ditches, wet thickets.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update