Meadow / Slender Willow

About Meadow / Slender Willow in Alberta

Meadow or slender willow is a native Alberta wetland willow treated here as Salix petiolaris, with both common names used in Alberta-facing sources. It is a lowland shrub of wet meadows, marsh margins, wetland edges, moist depressions, and some riparian settings, and it is better understood in Alberta as a real native wet-site species than as a marginal eastern import. For Ancient Roots Alberta, its main significance lies in mature remnant meadow and wetland thickets, habitat continuity in altered parkland and grassland landscapes, and structurally important native shrub communities in restoration and stormwater settings.

Identification: Leaves are long, slender, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, and typically glaucous beneath. The upper surface may be glossy or dull. Petioles are a useful close character and are reflected in the species name.

Alberta range and habitat: This is a native Alberta willow of wet lowland habitats rather than a narrowly planted or imported species. It is relevant across a broad swath of Alberta wetland and meadow settings.