Pittwater Council Website

Pittwater Council Vision - To be a vibrant sustainable community of connected villages inspired by bush, beach and water.

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Main Content

Willows

Botanical name: Salix spp.
Noxious Weed Category: Class 5
Special note: All Willows, except Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) and two Pussy Willows (S. x reichardtii and S. x calodendron) are declared noxious in New South Wales.

Willow             Willows
Black Willow (Salix nigra)                        Grey Sallow (Salix cinerea)
Source: Sainty & Associates                    Source: NSW Agriculture : WEEDdeck 1999 

Description

Originating from North America & Eurasia, Willows are a deciduous, rapidly-growing tree to about 10 - 20m tall with one to many trunks.
Male catkins (a dense spike of single sex flowers) yellow, female catkins green, appearing in spring.

Dispersal

Seeds and pieces are dispersed by wind and water for long distances.
Impact on bushland: A major invasive fast growing woody weed of streams and stream banks.

Control

Manual: Hand pull seedlings.

See Manual Weed Control Techniques.

Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.

Suggested alternatives

  • Black Wattle (Callicoma serratifolia) 6m
  • Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina) 8m+
  • Grey Myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia)

References

Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland, Blue Mountains City Council and NPWS Blue Mountains

Information and images reproduced with the kind permission of the Sydney Weeds Committees.