Peachleaf Willow (Trees of Manitoba)

Peachleaf Willow

Salix amygdaloides

Traditional Indigenous Names ⁶

Cree: Nipisihatik
Ojibwe: Adoopiiwaatig

Summary from Wikipedia ⁷

Salix amygdaloides, the peachleaf willow, is a species of willow native to southern Canada and the United States, from Quebec west to western British Columbia, southeast to eastern Kentucky, and southwest and west to Arizona and Nevada, respectively.

Easy identifiers ⁶

Peachleaf Willow leaves are very long and smooth edged ending in a pointed tip. The underside of their leaves are pale green while the tops are dark green. Their branches tend to arch upward and they usually grow in a clump with other Peachleaf Willows.

Form ⁶

A large deciduous shrub to small tree with somewhat drooping branches.

Bark ⁶

Smooth, becoming ridged and more or less scaly, reddish-brown.

Twigs ⁶

Alternate, flexible, yellowish becoming darker, shiny. Lenticels few, mostly small and brown but some are larger, linear and yellowish. Buds small, dark shiny brown with tan bases, largest along middle of twig, these about 2 - 4 millimetres (1/8 inch) long, with only one scale, somewhat lop-sided. Leaf scars very small, inconspicuous, with three bundle scars.

Leaves ⁶

Alternate, simple, lance-shaped, 5 - 14 centimetres (2 - 4 1/2 inches) long and 2 - 5 millimetres (1/2 - 2 inches) wide, narrowed or rounded at base, narrowly tapered at tip, finely toothed, stem slender, green above, whitish below.

Flowers ⁶

Before leaves, in catkins.

Fruit ⁶

A capsule in catkins on short leafy branches.

Occurrence ⁶

Along stream beds in southern part of Manitoba; not common.

Fun facts ⁶

Peachleaf Willow is the only willow that is native to Manitoba, and they can grow as far south as Mexico.

Note ⁶

Black willow (Salix nigra Marsh.) and Crack willow (Salix fragilis L.) are similar but have narrower, somewhat curved leaves up to 8 - 10 millimetres (6 inches) long. Black willow has conspicuous leaf-like stipules at base of leaf stalk on young twigs that are lacking on Crack willow.

Sources and Credits

(c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Manitoba Forestry
(c) Owen Clarkin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Owen Clarkin
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/27507243806/
(c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/8583446@N05/3533886982
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/photos/pl_willow1.jpg
(c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Adapted by Manitoba Forestry from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_amygdaloides

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