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dewystem willow

Salix irrorata · Salicaceae

dewystem willow (Salix irrorata)
Photo: (c) Lucian Vazquez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · via iNaturalist

dewystem willow (Salix irrorata) is a perennial shrub in the Salicaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 2 and warmer, down to about -50°F.

At a glance

Typeshrub USDA
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusnative USDA
Mature height6 ft USDA
Soil pH5.5–7.5 USDA
BloomMarch–April USDA
Flower colorWhite USDA
Hardiness zones2 and warmer USDA
Guild layershrub Derived

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 2.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 6 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height.

Bloom period

USDA records a bloom period of March through April. Flowers are white.

A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.

What the site needs to provide

USDA records it across sites receiving 12 to 40 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 110 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches.

Propagating it

Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate.

Resilience and wildlife

Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.

Role in a guild

Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

deciduousdrought-tolerantsandy-soilnative

Related plants

Others in Salix

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol SAIR, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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