According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.
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Peachleaf willow is native to North America. It is the most common tree willow in the eastern Great Plains, but it is peripheral in the Southeast, occurring mostly in the Mississippi valley. In the Southwest, it is common along the Rio Grande and rare to infrequent in other riparian zones. Its distribution extends south into Chihuahua. It rare in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia and has been extirpated from Kentucky.
This plant is present in at least 33 states/provinces in this country.
Peachleaf willow is a deciduous small tree or shrub ≤40 feet (12 m) tall. It grows as a small tree in most of its range, although the shrub form is more common in Montana. It is the tallest native willow in the prairie states and provinces. Like a tree, its form is spreading and often leaning to decumbent. As a shrub, peachleaf willow often forms thickets. Trunks may be one to several and reach 1.3 feet (0.4 m) across. The wood is soft and weak. Branches are flexible throughout most of their length but may be brittle at the base. Leaves are lance-shaped; typically, they range from 0.8 to 2 inches (2-6 cm) long, but they may be 4 to 6 inches (11-16 cm) on young shoots. The male and female flowers are catkins. Female catkins are 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm) long, arising from leafy twigs. The fruit is a capsule containing many small seeds with cottony hairs. The seeds are lightweight; near Boulder, Colorado, peachleaf willow seeds averaged 4.0 × 10-5 g each.
Peachleaf willow has a multibranched, spreading root system.
Peachleaf willow flowers, fruits, and disperses seed in spring. Catkins and leaves emerge at the same time. Seed dispersal usually coincides with spring flooding.
