Carolina Willow is a deciduous tree that may grow to 20 feet tall. The leaves are alternate with a toothed margin, hairy stem, and pale-white underside. The bark is gray and smooth with scattered warts and horizontal lenticels. In spring, small, yellow flowers mature in great numbers. The small tree produces an egg-shaped capsule that matures in the summer. The Coastal Plain Willow grows well in nutrient-poor soil. It does well in wet areas like thickets and swamps and is right at home along a stream bank or next to a pond. In nature, it can be found growing near riverbanks, sandbars, interdune ponds, canal banks, and other wet sites. It grows near salt water, so has moderate salt spray tolerance but needs to be protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. It is not drought tolerant and requires consistently moist soils. It can be grown from seed or cuttings, including root cuttings. While it bears similarity to the native Black Willow, the two species can be told apart by the leaves– S. caroliniana has wider leaves and a whitish underside. The Carolina willow serves as a food source for the larvae of several butterflies, including Viceroy ( Limenitis archippus ) , Eastern tiger swallowtail ( Papilio glaucus ) , Mourning cloak ( Nymphalis antiiopa ) , Red spotted purple ( Limenitis arthemis astyanax ) ,and Eastern comma ( Polygonia comma ) . It is also a host for the Automeris io (Fabricius) moth. Live stakes often available. More information on Salix .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12-24 feet; 24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Irregular; Open; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Temperate deciduous, light green, long and narrow leaves to about 8 inches long. They are wider than Black Willow leaves and have a whiteish underside.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Catkin
Flower detail
The greenish-yellow catkins are semi-showy. In North Carolina, they are available from March to May.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
In North Carolina, the fruits are available from April to June.
Bark color
Dark Gray
Bark detail
Furrowed gray bark. Provides winter interest.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Wildlife value
This tree provides some food and significant cover for wildlife. Its flowers attract bees. It is the only native larval host plant for viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies. This is a larval host plant for several butterflies. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) has three flights in the deep south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) has one flight from June-July. Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) has two broods from April-October. Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) has two to three broods from May-September. Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) overwintered adults lay eggs in from early spring through April. The summer adults appear and lay eggs for the winter form from May-September which appear as adults in September that find a place to overwinter and start the cycle over. Eastern Comma rarely uses this host plant in North Carolina. It is also larval host for (Automeris io) moths.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies; several butterflies; (Automeris io) moths