Leaves: alternate, simple, 2-4 1/2" (5-11 cm) long, 1/2-1 1/4" (1-3 cm) wide, lance-shaped; often slightly curved to one side; tapering to long, narrow point; finely saw-toothed; becoming hairless, shiny green above, whitish beneath, with long, slender leafstalk.
Flower: catkins 1 1/4-3" (3-7.5 cm) long; with yellow hairy scales; on short leafy twigs; in spring with leaves.
Fruit: 1/4" (6mm) long; reddish-yellow hairless capsules; long-stalked; maturing in late spring or early summer.
Twig: shiny orange or brown; hairless
Bark: dark brown; rough, furrowed into flat scaly ridges.
Form: Tree with one or sometimes several straight trunks, upright branches, and spreading crown.
Habitat: Wet soil of valleys, often bordering stream banks with cottonwoods.
Range: southeast British Columbia east to extreme southern Quebec and New York, south to northwestern Pennsylvania, and west to western Texas.
Location: south edge of the Bunker Hill High School campus.
latitude: 39o02.33N
longitude: 89o57.70
The peachleaf willow is important in protecting river banks from erosion.
© Community Unit School District #8, Bunker Hill
504 E. Warren, Bunker Hill, IL 62014
References:
Little, Elbert L. Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1980.
Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Forest Trees of Illinois. Springfield, IL: 1992