Salix laevigata


Salix laevigata, the red willow or polished willow, is a species of willow native to the southwestern United States and northern Baja California.

Biology

The red willow is a small tree up to in height. Like most other willows, it commonly grows along riverbanks and in other areas with high soil moisture.

Distribution

The red willow occurs along the coast of Baja California and in California north to Cape Mendocino. It occurs east of the San Joaquin Valley in the lower elevation western foothills of the Sierra Nevada; it is absent from the Central Valley itself. Small occurrences can be found in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. In Arizona it is found in the central transition zone of the Mogollon Rim and in the central Grand Canyon. Its distribution extends to the Virgin River canyon of southwestern Utah.

Ethnobotany

The Kutenai called red willow mukwuʔk, and used it in basketry.