Salix alaxensis

Common Names

Feltleaf Willow, Alaska Willow

Summary

Feltleaf Willow is a fast-growing, dioecious willow forming a multi-stem shrub or small tree native to northern North America, including Alaska and western Canada east to Hudson Bay. It grows 0.5–9 m tall and 2–5 m wide, with smooth gray bark that becomes furrowed with age; leaves are broad and simple, up to 11 cm long with woolly undersides; catkins up to 10 cm are inconspicuous, and seeds are wind-dispersed with downy fibers, enabling rapid colonization of moist mineral soils and disturbance sites, frequently dominating willow communities along rivers and lakes in moist tundra and riparian habitats.

Cultivation and uses: tolerates wet or ill-drained soils and full sun, thriving in damp, heavy soils and well to moderately well-drained moister sites; propagates by surface-sown seed or cuttings; dioecious plants require both male and female individuals for seed production, with seed viability about a week and germination within 24 hours on moist soil; fire-tolerant and capable of resprouting after disturbance; used for habitat restoration, erosion control, streambank protection, and disturbed-site rehabilitation, while providing browse for moose, caribou, muskox, snowshoe hares, and other wildlife; cultivars like 'Rhode' are employed in revegetation efforts.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3 ft 3 1/2 in – 32 ft 10 in

Spread

6.8-18 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-6

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil.

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained to wet soils.

Soil pH

6.2–7.5

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and other pollinators