Prairie Willow

The most common form of Prairie Willow is Salix humilis humilis, the typical variety that grows anywhere from 2 to 10 feet high, but is u...Read Moresually about 4 feet high and wider. It has a large native range in much of the eastern US down to Texas and northern Florida and up into southeast & southcentral Canada. It grows in both wet lowland places and upland dry places and is often called the Upland Willow. Its leaves are about 4 inches long and woolly beneath. The Sage or Littleleaf Prairie Willow (Salix humilis tristis) grows about 1 to 3 feet high and has leaves only to 2 inches long that are wooly on both sides. There is a Smooth Prairie Willow (Salix humilis hyporhysa) that has hairless leaves and stems. I've only seen the typical, common form that was planted in the Dwarf Shrub Collection at Morton Arboretum in northeast Illinois. Since there aren't any other Prairie Willow entries on this Dave's Garden, I have put photos of Salix humilis humilis on this page. This species can be bought at some native plant nurseries.