Salix alba

White willow is the large, graceful tree of riverbanks and wet bottomlands, the classic weeping silhouette (in the 'Tristis' cultivar) that leans over ponds and streams with long, pendulous branches trailing toward the water. The narrow, lance-shaped leaves are silvery-green, giving the canopy a shimmering quality in the wind. It grows fifty to eighty feet with a broad, spreading crown. Native to Europe and western Asia, it has been planted along waterways across the world for centuries.

In Western Washington, white willow grows vigorously in moist to wet soil in full sun. The root system is aggressive and invasive, it will find and exploit sewer lines, septic systems, and drainage tiles from remarkable distances. A minimum clearance of a hundred feet from infrastructure is standard guidance. Several diseases and pests are tracked, and the wood is brittle, dropping branches in storms. The weeping form is romantically beautiful but comes with real maintenance and infrastructure costs. For a large, wet site where the roots will not cause problems, a farm pond, a rural stream bank, a park buffer, white willow provides a distinctive silhouette. For residential properties, choose a tree with less aggressive roots.