Virginia Tech Dendrology

MacKenzie's willow Salicaceae Salix prolixa Andersson symbol: SAPR3
Leaf: Alternate, simple, oval to somewhat lanceolate with a U or heart-shaped base, 4-5 inches long, margins entire, dark green and somewhat shiny above, pale and glabrous or tomentose below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; to 4 inch fuzzy catkins, yellowish white, appearing in spring with the leaves.
Fruit: Small (1/4 inch), long-pointed, hairy capsules in oblong clusters; each capsule contains numerous small fuzzy seeds.
Twig: Slender, greenish brown to reddish brown, may or may not have have waxy bloom or sparse pubescence; buds are conical, red, and have a single cap-like scale; often with persistent lobed stipules at the nodes.
Bark: Gray-green with numerous reddish lenticels.
Form: A shrub to 20 feet tall.
Looks like: Bebb's willow - pussy willow - Scouler willow - Sitka willow

Additional Range Information: Salix prolixa is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information