Salix bebbiana
A fast-growing, dioecious deciduous shrub native to North America, thriving in moist soils along streams and swamps, reaching up to 7 m, flowering in May and seeding in June, often coppiced for basketry.
Common Names
Bebb Willow, Bebb's Willow, Diamond Willow, Gray Willow, Beaked Willow, Beak Willow, Long-beaked Willow, Smooth Bebb Willow
Summary
Beak Willow, also called Bebb's Willow, Gray Willow, or Diamond Willow, is a fast-growing, deciduous shrub or small tree that forms multi-stemmed thickets up to about 7 m tall. Native to North America from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to California, it favors moist to wet sites such as swamps, streambanks, lake shores, and wetlands, making it a pioneer, shade-intolerant species that readily colonizes disturbed ground. Leaves are dull blue-green with pale undersides, and catkins appear in spring on dioecious plants.
It tolerates wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils and damp heavy soils in full sun, with a pH tolerance of 5.5–7.5, and is not drought tolerant. Propagation is by surface-sown seed (seed viable only days; germination 12–24 hours after fall) or cuttings (hardwood, 7–10 in) that root readily. Growth is rapid but short-lived and it is valued for erosion control and restoration, stabilizing streambanks and providing wildlife browse; catkins support pollinators and it is commonly used in riparian plantings.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
10-25 feet
Spread
10-15 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-7
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun, tolerates partial sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist to wet soils, tolerates a wide range of textures (clay to rocky), suitable for clay, loam, sand/gravel, peat, calcareous
Soil Drainage
Moist, well-drained soil
Soil pH
5.5–7.5, Mildly acidic to neutral soils.
Bloom Color
Yellow-green
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
No appreciable fall color
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Layering, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Sarg.
- Publication
- Gard. & Forest 8: 463 (1895)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Malpighiales
- Family
- Salicaceae
- Genus
- Salix
Synonyms
Salix perrostrata Salix xerophila Salix bebbiana var. capreifolia Salix bebbiana var. depilis Salix bebbiana f. luxurians Salix bebbiana var. luxurians Salix bebbiana var. projecta Salix rostrata var. luxurians Salix rostrata var. capreifolia Salix rostrata var. projecta Salix livida var. rostrata Salix depressa subsp. rostrata Salix floderusii Salix livida var. cinerascens Salix orotchonorum Salix starkeana subsp. cinerascens Salix ilectica Salix xerophila f. manshurica Salix floderusii f. manshurica Salix xerophila var. ilectica Salix depressa var. cinerascens Salix vagans var. occidentalis Salix starkeana subsp. bebbiana Salix xerophila var. fuscescens Salix rostrata Salix bebbiana var. perrostrata Salix rostrata var. perrostrata Salix bebbiana var. bebbiana Salix macropoda Salix hsinganica Salix ilectica var. integristyla Salix livida var. occidentalis Salix vagans var. cinerascens Salix vagans var. cinerascens