A fast-growing tree, Salix nigra (Black Willow) is a medium to large deciduous tree boasting several trunks topped by a graceful open, spreading to rounded crown with stout branches. In spring and summer, it bears narrow, lanceolate, finely serrate, medium to dark green leaves, 5 in. long (12 cm), tapering to elongate tips. They usually turn greenish-yellow in the fall, before falling to the ground and revealing the silhouette of the tree. Black Willow is dioecious, with male and female flowers appearing in delicate yellowish-green catkins, 2 in. long (5 cm), on separate male and female trees. Blooming in mid to late spring, they give way to reddish-brown capsules with wind-borne seeds. The dark brown bark becomes deeply furrowed with age. The wood is soft and weak, making it susceptible to wind damage. Rather short-lived, Black Willow is the largest and only commercially important willow in North America. It makes a spectacular specimen tree near ponds and streams where it can be reflected for double the pleasure. Its shallow, spreading root system makes it a valuable tree for stabilizing soils, and it is an excellent species for reducing erosion of stream banks, bars, and islands. Great for attracting wildlife: birds eat the buds and flowering catkins, deer eat the twigs and leaves, and rodents eat the bark and buds.

• Grows up to 30-60 ft. tall and wide (9-18 m).
• Performs best in full sun or part shade in consistently moist to wet soils.
• Easy to grow, easy to care for. Keep an eye out for blights, powdery mildew, leaf spots, crown gall, cankers, willow sawflies, leaf beetles, and aphids.
• Great near streams or ponds. Do not plant this willow near the house or a driveway because of its susceptibility to breakage and roots may clog sewer and water pipes.
• Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in winter
• Prune as needed in late winter to early spring.
• Native to North America, Black willow is found throughout the eastern United States, adjacent parts of Canada, and Mexico.