River Birch
Betula nigra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Black Willow
Salix nigra. Medium tree, 10 to 80 feet, zones 4 to 9; full sun or part shade; average or wet ground.
We do not grow black willow, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Gulf black willow, southwestern black willow, scythe-leaved willow |
|---|---|
| Form | Medium tree |
| Height, feet | 10 to 80 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 60 |
| Zones | 4 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Wildlife value, honey tree, salt tolerant, erosion control |
| Flowers | February to June |
| Fruit | Capsules, April to July |
| First crop | About 10 years (best from 25 to 75) |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so a female tree bears seed only with a male nearby. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 105 years. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on black willow marks it as one that transplants well. |
| Black walnut | Tolerant, on the Morton Arboretum's list as “willow” |
| Ground | Stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 36 states and the District of Columbia |
Black willow is native in 36 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of black willow's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloides Medium tree Zones 2–8 35–60 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Water Locust
Gleditsia aquatica Medium tree Zones 6–10 40–60 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Ogeechee Tupelo
Nyssa ogeche Medium tree Zones 6–9 25–45 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor Medium tree Zones 3–8 50–60 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the US Forest Service and the University of Illinois Extension.