Salicaceae

Polar willow

Salix polaris Wahlenb.

Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Salix

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Polar willow (Salix polaris) — Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (4)

Catalan: Salze polar
Dutch: Poolwilg
English: Polar willow
Finnish: Napapaju

Synonyms

Salix polaris subsp. pseudopolaris (Flod.) Hultén
Salix polaris var. selwynensis Raup
Salix pseudopolaris Flod.

Flowers

Flower colour: purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Subshrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: native, Canada: native

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Victor M. Vicente Selvas, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Qaqqaqtunaaq from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dreizung, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Salix

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.