Salix lasiolepis aka Arroyo Willow

Salix lasiolepis, or arroyo willow, is in the willow family. This family bears the name Salicaceae. Its native range covers the western and south-central United States. It extends into Mexico. Kew places this shrub or tree in the temperate biome. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. It grows as a large shrub or small tree. Its many stems can form a thicket, not one trunk. Virginia Tech gives a height of up to 25 feet [7.6 metres].

The bark changes in colour and feel with age. Young bark is pale grey and smooth. It has visible lenticels, or small pores. Old bark splits into reddish-brown cracks, or fissures. Grey ridges stand between them, with flat, pale tops. Thin twigs range from green to grey-brown. Some have fine hairs. Their large buds range from green to light brown. Each bud has a blunt point and one cap-like scale. These traits help describe the plant, along with its leaves.

The simple leaves have one blade each. They grow in an alternate pattern, taking turns along the stems. Some are lanceolate, or shaped like a lance head. Others are narrow and widest above the middle. Leaves measure about 0.25–0.5 feet [0.08–0.15 metres] long. Their edges may be wavy or have a few wavy teeth. The blades feel thick and somewhat like leather, not thin. Their tops are glossy and dark green. Their undersides are whitish. Check this contrast along with leaf shape and edge pattern.

Flowers grow in fuzzy catkins, or flower clusters. They look yellowish white. Each catkin measures about 0.08–0.17 feet [0.025–0.05 metres] long. They bloom in spring, before or with the leaves. The species is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants. The small fruits are hairy capsules with long, pointed tips. They grow in groups with an oblong shape. Each capsule holds many small seeds with fine hairs.

The supplied sources say more about form than garden care. Its thicket growth matters when judging the space it needs. The sources give no spread for plants grown in gardens. They give no hardiness zone or specific soil needs. Nor do they give watering or light needs for this species. No supplied evidence shows which parts, if any, are edible. It gives no toxicity rating. It also gives no account of pests or diseases for this species.