FNPS Plant Database

Salix nigra

black willow
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

black willow

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Salix nigra

Family:

Salicaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

To 60 ft tall by 30–40 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Plant along streams or in informal landscape settings along ponds or canals.

Considerations:

Weak wood--tends to break.

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seeds and stem cuttings.

Light:

Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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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:

Clay, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Highly acidic to circum–neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

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

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
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Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars

The catkins of small bees and flies who feed on the pollen, wind pollinated. Caterpillars of Limenitis archippus (Viceroy) feed on the leaves of willows.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains

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 it naturally occurs in or near wetlands, this tree can also 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:

Burns, Russell M, and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2026.


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


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville, TN.


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, FL.

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