Appearance

Appearance

It can become a large deciduous tree with stout branches that rise or spread at an angle instead of hanging down.

Leaves

The leaves are long and narrow with a pointed tip. They are green above and pale or bluish-white below.

Flowers

At an arboretum in Boston, male catkins opened after the leaves. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees.

Fruit

The dry capsule splits open and releases the cottony seeds.

Look-alikes

weeping willowSalix babylonica

Korean willow has upright or angled branches. Weeping willow has long, slender branches that hang toward the ground.

Why they get mixed up · Both are large willows with narrow leaves that people may see in U.S. collections or landscapes.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• riverbanks
• floodplains
• wet lowlands

Range

It is native to Korea, Japan, northern China, and the Russian Far East.

Preferred conditions

In its East Asian range, it favors wet riverbanks and may form stands along the water.

Life cycle

Reproduction

The species is dioecious. Female trees release tiny seeds attached to cottony hairs, and broken branches may also root in wet ground.

Name and classification

About the name

It was formerly called Salix koreensis.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction