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Salix discolor, photographed by an iNaturalist contributor
(c) Jackson Nesbit, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jackson Nesbit · CC BY-NC
#942 most planted

Salix discolor

American pussy willow · also Glaucous willow, Pussy willow, Purple willow

Deciduous
255
trees mapped
0.00%
of all named trees
14
cities
6.7 in
median trunk (17 cm, 251 measured)

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Salix discolor is a weak-wooded deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 25 ft tall. It produces soft, silky catkins in early spring before its leaves emerge. This species requires ample water and branches are often cut for flower arrangements.

Where it grows

Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.

  1. Toronto · Canada
    104—8.7 in
  2. Mississauga · Canada
    38—6.5 in
  3. Calgary · Canada
    34—15 in
  4. Denver · United States
    28—3.0 in
  5. Los Angeles · United States
    2335 yr1.5 in
  6. San Francisco · United States
    5—3.0 in
  7. Kingston · Canada
    5—5.9 in
  8. Lethbridge · Canada
    4—4.5 in
  9. Kelowna · Canada
    4—10 in
  10. Boston · United States
    3—16 in
  11. Burlington, ON · Canada
    2——
  12. Ottawa · Canada
    2—3.5 in
  13. Vancouver · Canada
    2—8.0 in
  14. New Westminster · Canada
    1—8.3 in

Traits

Foliage
Deciduous
Mature height
15–25 ft
Canopy spread
12–15 ft
Growth rate
Fast
Water needs
High
Drought tolerance
Low
Blooms
Mar, Apr

Trunk diameters across every city: median 6.7 in, mean 9.4 in, 90th percentile 19 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.

Native range

Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.

Temperate Conifer Forests

  • Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests
  • British Columbia coastal conifer forests
  • Central British Columbia Mountain forests
  • Colorado Rockies forests
  • Northern Pacific Alaskan coastal forests
  • Northern Rockies conifer forests

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

  • Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition
  • Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests
  • New England-Acadian forests
  • Western Great Lakes forests

Other Salix in the catalogue

34 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.

Interested in talking trees? arborary.world@gmail.comTree data © the respective municipal publishers and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).