Leaf guide › Aspens & poplars
Willow
Salix species
The low gold thickets that line mountain streams and fill wet valleys.
- Fall color
- Yellow
- Turns
- Mid to late season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 1–6 in. long, depending on the species
- Found in
- Across the country, especially along streams and in wet mountain valleys
How to recognize it
- Long, narrow leaf, several times longer than wide, with a pointed tip.
- Edges usually lined with fine teeth.
- Leaves alternate along slender, flexible twigs.
- Each bud is covered by a single cap-like scale.
- Often grows as dense, shrubby thickets near water.
Where to find it
Look for it along streams, rivers, ponds, and wet meadows. In the Rockies, willows form wide thickets on valley floors, like the willow flats of Jackson Hole, the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the lakeshores of Glacier National Park.
Easy to confuse with
Narrowleaf cottonwood
Lance-shaped leaves like a willow, but it grows into a tall, single-trunked tree.
Worth knowing
There are many kinds of willow in North America, from low shrubs to tall trees. Willow bark contains salicin, a compound connected to the history of aspirin. Moose and beavers depend heavily on willow for food.
Common questions
What color do willows turn in fall?
Most willows turn yellow, sometimes with a touch of orange, before the leaves drop.
When do willows change color?
Around the middle to late part of the local season. In mountain valleys, the willow thickets often glow gold beneath the aspen.
How can you tell a willow from narrowleaf cottonwood?
Both have long, narrow leaves. Narrowleaf cottonwood grows into a tall, single-trunked tree, while most willows in mountain valleys grow as shrubby thickets with many stems.
Where do willows grow?
Across the lower 48, wherever there is water: along streams, rivers, ponds, and wet meadows.
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