Goodding's willow (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Goodding's willow

Salix gooddingii

Summary ⁷

Salix gooddingii is a species of willow known by the common names Goodding's willow or Goodding's black willow. It was named for its collector: Leslie Newton Goodding. The plant is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico and grows in a variety of habitats.

Botanical Information ⁸

The Goodding's willow is a medicinal plant also called Salix gooddingii, which is its scientific name. It can grow from 15-40 feet tall, with younger twigs a yellowish color, and older branches dark gray. The leaves grow from branches in an alternate pattern, similar in size to peach leaf willow (6-13cm long) but both surfaces of the leaf are greenish-yellow. When it blooms, this plant looks like it has caterpillars hanging from its branches. These are the flowers that are either male or female and grow on separate trees making it a "dioecious" plant.

Ecological Information ⁹

This plant lives in desert riparian regions within New Mexico. This plant produces nectar for other pollinators. The type of animals that like to eat it are deer, birds, and caterpillars. It is also a provider of wildlife habitat such as nesting sites for birds.

Ethnobotanical Information ¹⁰

This plant is both edible and medicinal. Although bitter and considered a "famine food" the catkins (flower buds) can be eaten raw. Like many plants in the genus Salix, it has salicin in its bark, which is similar to acetylsalicylic acid. Therefore, the bark has been used to make remedies to help with issues that aspirin will help. The closely related species, coyote willow, can be used in the same way medicinally, is found in abundance and the population is more stable in the changing environment. Therefore, it is better to use coyote willow in place of Goodding's willow.

References ¹¹

http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Salicaceae/Salix%20gooddingii,%20Goodding's%20Willow.html

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SAGO

https://calscape.org/Salix-gooddingii-(Goodding%e2%80%99s-Black-Willow)?srchcr=sc567d202a327264

http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/s/salix-gooddingii=goodding's-willow.php

Bosque Field Guide
Cartron, Lightfoot, Mygatt, Brantley, Lowrey. (2008). A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. (p. 97). New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press.

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author(s)*: Danny and Ulises (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/42912657482/
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/42912661432/
(c) David Bygott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/86666094@N00/5797248661
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/42243434184/
(c) Derell Licht, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/derelllicht/50156755563/
(c) Derell Licht, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/derelllicht/50157545642/
Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_gooddingii
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Color	yellow
Type	Shrub, tree
Uses	medicinal

‹ › ×