General: Narrowleaf Willow (Salix exigua) is a fairly common shrubby tree that grows along water courses in the Mojave Desert and gets to about 20 feet tall. The leaves are long (to about 8 inches) and narrow with a pointed tip. The leaves are also serrate, but the teeth are widely separated. Catkins produce cottony material that catch the wind and carry seeds away.

Narrowleaf Willow is a common component of vegetation communities in wet areas in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones, although it grows to about 9,000 feet elevation.

Family: Willow (Salicaceae).

Other Names: Sandbar Willow, Narrow-leaved Willow, Coyote Willow.

Plant Form: Clonal shrubby tree that grows from root sprouts.

Height: To about 20 feet

Trunk:

Bark:

Stems:

Leaves: Narrow lanceolate, to 8 inches long, white hairy especially when fresh. Leaf blade more than 10 times the width. Leaf margin entire or with a few irregular, widely spaced small teeth (not really toothed)

Flowers: Blooms spring and early summer. Inflorescence: catkin.

Seeds: Attached to a cottony mass that carries the seeds on the wind.

Habitat: Areas with water: streams, washes, seeps, springs.

Elevation: To about 9,000 feet.

Distribution: Western North America.

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