PNW Native
Ranges from along western North America from southern Alaska through southern California (A)
Scouler’s willow grows as either a tall shrub or small tree with brown bark and is easily identifiable due to its egg-shaped leaves with tapered bases that are covered in fine hair when young and its velvety twigs. Leaves are deciduous, alternate, and 4 – 12 cm / 2 – 4 in long. Scouler’s willow is dioecious, with stout, hairy catkins that appear before leaves in spring. Female catkins are comprised of hairy bracts, and male catkins lack the abundance of velvet on their bracts and are shorter than the females. Fruits are silky capsules present in larger bracts. (PM)
Scouler’s willow is depended on by ungulates, domesticated and wild, as graze and browse. Scouler’s willow is relied on during winter and early spring, and it is preferred by deer, elk, sheep, moose, and livestock in Ponderosa pine forests. The shoots, bark, leaves, and twigs are eaten. In younger stands, riparian areas, and disturbed ecosystems, Scouler’s willow is the most-consumed forage by moose. Areas with large amounts of Scouler’s willow are associated with heavy use by elk. Domestic cattle, sheep, and goat graze Scouler’s willow, often in drier sites. Grizzly bears, small mammals, and numerous birds also consume the plant. Game birds and ducks eat the buds, leaves, twigs, and seeds, and small birds use the willow as nesting ground. The Rocky Mountain jay, Clark’s nutcracker, and grouse use willow buds as an important winter food source.
In British Columbia, black-tail deer significantly graze Scouler’s willow from April-November and most heavily in early summer. Elk prefer Scouler’s willow forage in Idaho in early summer and winter months. Montana elk populations rely on Scouler’s willow for winter browse and the plant consists of a significant portion of its wintertime diet. Deer populations in Montana and Idaho also rely on willow for winter browse. Willow is browsed by deer and livestock widely in California and is eaten by deer in Utah during the summer. (A) Beavers widely eat Scouler’s willow shoots and use the shoots in their dams, which often replant. The propagation of willow by beaver activity leads to expansion of wetlands. (DM)
Scouler’s willow grows on streamsides forming thickets, clearings, wetlands, open forests, and forest margins. (PM) Scouler’s willow is a pioneer of streamsides and gravel bars in mountainous rivers where soil has not yet formed, where it is often the only shrub able to tolerate the harsh conditions. It also colonizes Eastside Cascade burn sites along with snowbrush, and Scouler’s willow is notable amongst other willow species both for its tolerance of partial shade and ability to tolerate more arid environments. Its deep roots allow the willow species to easily regenerate itself after a fire. Shrubs grown from pre-existing roots tend to form multibranched shrubs, and willows grown from seeds tend to grow into small, single-stemmed trees. (DM)
Scouler’s willow was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, construction of traps and snares, sweathouse frames, baskets, musical instruments, and toys. (A) Willowbark was twisted into twine used by local tribes for numerous purposes including baskets, tumplines (forehead straps used to assist carrying large baskets), sea lion harpoon lines, and fishnets. Willows were used as stakes in salmon weirs, and these stakes often rooted themselves into the riverbed. Willowbark, which naturally contains acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, was widely used as an anti-inflammatory, fever reducer, pain relief, and coagulant medicine. (DM) The S’Klallam use a boiled tea made from willowbark to treat tuberculosis and sore throat. (EG)
Scouler’s willow is visually indistinct with light wood and no unique grain pattern, but its shock absorption and lightweight nature lend itself well to specialty devices like prosthetics. (A)
[1] Anderson, Michelle D. 2001. Salix scouleriana. In: Fire Effects Information System,. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/salsco/all.html.
