Sharp Leaf Willow

About Sharp Leaf Willow in Alberta

Sharp leaf willow is an introduced Alberta willow best known from shelterbelts, farmsteads, screening plantings, and other managed rural landscapes rather than from the native willow flora. It is a fast-growing shrub or small tree with long narrow pointed glossy leaves, yellow buds, and violet to red-brown branchlets that can remain visually useful in winter and early spring. For Ancient Roots Alberta, its relevance is mainly tied to older Prairie planting history, long-standing windbreaks, and mature agricultural landscapes rather than to remnant native habitat.

Identification: Leaves are alternate, simple, and lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, with long acuminate tips that give the species much of its visual character. Upper surfaces are shiny dark green, lower surfaces are duller, and margins are finely toothed. Compared with some other introduced glossy willows, the leaves are notably narrower.

Alberta range and habitat: There is no strong evidence for broad wild native occurrence in Alberta. The species should be treated mainly as a planted willow, and any occurrence outside managed settings should be approached cautiously rather than assumed to represent natural native distribution.