According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.
Where are you?
Shining willow is distributed from Alaska east to Labrador and south to California, Kansas, and North Carolina. It is mostly absent from dry interior regions of the Intermountain West.
This plant is present in at least 48 states/provinces in this country.
Shining willow is a deciduous small tree or tall shrub, occasionally growing up to 40 feet (12 m) tall. It typically has several stems, becoming increasingly shrubby with increasing elevation. The bark is smooth and thin, and the bole and branches are brittle. Twigs are relatively stout. It has lanceolate leaves that are 2 to 5 inches (5-13 cm) long. Shining willow is dioecious, so individual trees bear either pistillate or staminate catkins. The fruit is a hairless capsule, but the seed coat is covered with soft, cottony hairs. The typical variety differs from tail-leaf willow by having glaucous undersides to the leaves.
Shining willow flowers from late March to late June across its range; leaves appear with the catkins. Seeds disperse in late spring to early summer, depending on elevation and latitude. The dispersal period is usually for ≤1 month.
Cercis canadensis (aka: Eastern redbud, Redbud, Cersis Reniformis)
Acer saccharinum (aka: Silver maple, Soft maple)
Ulmus americana (aka: American elm, White elm, Water elm, Soft elm, Florida elm)
Prunus armeniaca (aka: Armenian plum, Ansu apricot, Siberian apricot, Tibetan apricot, Apricot tree)
Pyrus communis (aka: European pear, Common pear)
Celtis laevigata (aka: Hackberry, Sugarberry, Lowland hackberry, Sugar hackberry, Arizona sugarberry, Netleaf hackberry, Small's hackberry, Southern hackberry, Texas sugarberry)
Acer negundo (aka: Boxelder, Western boxelder, Arizona boxelder, California boxelder, Texas boxelder, Interior boxelder, Violet boxelder)
Salix nigra (aka: Black willow, Swamp willow, Southwestern black willow, Gulf black willow, Scythe-leaved willow)
Salix lucida (aka: Shining willow, Greenleaf willow, Tail-leaf willow, Whiplash willow, Pacific willow, Lance-leaf willow, Longleaf willow, Red willow, Western shining willow)
Amelanchier arborea (aka: Common serviceberry, Downy serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, Shadblow, Sugarplum)
Malus domestica (aka: Pyrus pumila, Malus pumila, Apple)
Prunus cerasus (aka: Sour cherry, Tart cherry, Dwarf cherry, Montmorency cherry)
Acer saccharum (aka: Sugar maple, Rock maple, Hard maple)
Malus coronaria (aka: Sweet crab apple, Garland crab, Alabama crab, Allegheny crab, American crab, Baltimore crab apple, Buncombe crab, Dawson crab, Dunbar crab, Fragrant crab, Garland tree, Lanceleaf crab apple, Missouri crab, Sweet-scented crab, Sweet wild crab, Wild crab, Wild sweet crab, Wild Crab Apple)
Prunus americana (aka: American plum, Goose plum, River plum, Wild plum)
Salix exigua (aka: Narrowleaf willow, Coyote willow)
Prunus pumila (aka: Sandcherry, Western sandcherry, Eastern sandcherry, Great Lakes sandcherry)
Celtis occidentalis (aka: Common hackberry, Bastard elm, Nettle-tree, Northern hackberry)
Salix lutea (aka: Yellow willow)
