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Balsam willow

Salix pyrifolia

Also called Pear Leaved Willow

Balsam willow
Photo: Étienne Lacroix-Carignan, CC0

Balsam willow is a native shrub of cold northern North America, valued for its balsam-scented leaves and grown mainly as a hardy ornamental or landscape shrub. It thrives with cold winters, moist soil and full sun.

Family
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil consistently moist, especially during establishment.
Soil
Moist, well-drained loam or sandy loam; tolerates wet ground.
Temperature
Hardy to very cold winters (roughly -40 °C); needs cold dormancy.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Subarctic America to NC. & NE. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Salix pyrifolia (syn. Salix balsamifera), the balsam willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, native to Canada, and the north-central to northeastern United States. A shrub, its leaves emit a balsam-like fragrance. It is available from commercial suppliers.

Other Salix plants

Siberian Violet Willow · White willow · Salix alpina · Arctic willow · Eared willow · Peking Willow · Goat Willow · Pussy willow · Olive Willow · Salix excelsa · Narrowleaf willow · Salix fargesii

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salix pyrifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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