Black willow (Salix nigra)

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Black willow

Habit (mature) · DouglasGoldman / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Black willow

Salix nigra

The largest native willow of North America — a fast-growing, water-loving deciduous tree of floodplains, stream banks, swamps, and pond margins that typically reaches 30-60 feet and can soar to 140 feet in ideal sites. Narrow, finely toothed lanceolate leaves and dark, deeply furrowed bark distinguish it; dioecious yellowish-green catkins open in early spring as the leaves emerge. Its shallow, spreading roots make it a premier soil binder for erosion control, though weak wood and a thirst for never-dry soil keep it out of most residential yards.

Native: 36 US states + 4 CA provinces

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: broad (83/100)

Structure

Focal point

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Consistent moisture

Mature size

360-720" tall · 360" apart

Hardy in zones

4a-9b

very cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Hot

cool to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

Yes

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Moisture retention

Mulch, watering rings, compost, coconut coir, and soil-cover supplies.

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Plant support

Stakes, cages, trellises, ties, clips, arbors, and heavy-duty supports.

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Transplanting and establishment

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Container growing

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Pruning and deadheading

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A documented larval host for the Cecropia moth and 6 other species — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Atlantic coastal pine barrens

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Blue Mountains forests

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Chilean Matorral

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Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

Dioecious — male and female yellowish-green catkins appear on separate trees in early spring (late March-April) as the leaves emerge. Unlike most wind-pollinated trees, willows are insect-pollinated: the early-season catkins are a documented Special Value source of pollen and nectar for native bees, bumble bees, and honey bees (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center), making black willow one of the first and most important spring forage plants where it grows. Only female trees set the reddish-brown seed capsules.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Io moth (Automeris io)

UF/IFAS and BAMONA list Salix (willow) as a documented Io moth larval host; black willow is Salix nigra (genus-level inference).

Larval host

Butterfly

Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Larval host

Butterfly

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Larval host

Butterfly

Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)

Larval host

Moth

Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

Larval host

Moth

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Larval host

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists black willow as a larval host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (along with the Acadian Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, Viceroy, and Red-spotted Purple — willows are among the most important larval hosts of native North American trees).

Nectar forage

Bee

European honeybee (Apis mellifera)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags black willow as a Special Value to Honey Bees — its early-spring catkins are one of the first abundant pollen and nectar sources of the season.

Pollen forage

Bee

Common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)

Flagged as Special Value to Bumble Bees and Native Bees by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; the early-season catkins provide critical spring forage when queens are establishing colonies.

Seed forage

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species) (multiple species (Passeriformes))

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents black willow as an early-season harvest for songbirds, waterfowl, and small mammals; the bark, tender twigs, and buds are also browsed by deer, rabbits, and beaver.

Foliage forage

Mammal

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Habitat structure, not food. Streambank willows supply the low exposed perches this sallying flycatcher hunts from (Audubon, ADW); genus/habitat-level inference.

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Shelter / habitat

Beetle

Common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis)

For people

Not eaten by humans

Grown for erosion control, streambank stabilization, and habitat rather than food. The flexible young stems are traditionally used in basketry and furniture, and the soft wood goes into millwork, boxes, pulpwood, and charcoal; willow bark is the historical source of salicin (the precursor to aspirin), but black willow is not cultivated as a human food crop.