Arroyo Willow
Scientific Name:
Salix lasiolepis
Type:
Tree
Habitat:
Wetlands such as streams, meadows, rivers, creeks, marshes, etc.
Range:
Native to the Pacific coast stretching from Washington to California; its range also reaches to Arizona and Texas
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
This plant can be recognized as a small shrub or a small tree, growing less than 30 feet high. It has relatively broad green leaves that contain short white hairs with the occasional yellow-green catkin flowers.
Fast Facts:
This tree has been recognized by ecologists for the large number of bees it attracts.
This species is found in thirteen ex situ collections across the world.
This species has been found in the Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, as well as Fort Sage Mountains in Lemmon Valley, and Great Basin Desert.
It is commonly known as the Tracy willow. The tree was named for Joseph Prince Tracy who was a botanist in California and discovered the species.
Sources:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Salix Lasiolepis, 2007. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SALAL2
United States Department of Agriculture, Salix Lasiolepis, 2014, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SALAL2
Red List, Arroyo Willow, 2018, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/126589815/126591075#threats
iNaturalist, Arroyo Willow, 2021, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81108453
Image: Stan Shebs, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salix_lasiolepis_1.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Image: Jim Morefield, https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/43705634811, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Crystal Sutton (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)