According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.
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Scouler's willow is found primarily in the boreal forests of North America. It is widely distributed, occurring in Canada from the Yukon Territory south through British Columbia and east through Alberta, Saskatchewan and into Manitoba. In the United States, Scouler's willow occurs in Alaska, south through the western states and into Mexico in the mountains, and east to the Black Hills of South Dakota.
This plant is present in at least 18 states/provinces in this country.
Scouler's willow is generally a shrub, reaching 6 to 35 feet (2-10.6 m) in height. It occasionally grows as a tree and may reach 65 feet (20 m) in height. It is nonrhizomatous with a deep, extensive root system and may be multistemmed or have one main trunk with twigs spreading or ascending. It occurs in thickets and forests forming a tall shrub layer in young stands, but is intolerant of shade and can persist only under thin canopies. Beneath a tree canopy, Scouler's willow exhibits a tall, upright growth form, but if top-killed by disturbance it sprouts from the root crown creating a round growth form up to 16 feet (4.8 m) in diameter.
Scouler's willow has slender stems and branches reaching 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) in diameter at the base; smooth to flaky bark; and glabrous twigs. Leaves are glabrous to leathery, obovate to oblanceolate, and occasionally serrate. Twigs and leaf undersides of Scouler's willow are densely to thinly pubescent, with appressed, reddish hairs. Young twigs and vigorous shoots are often densely pubescent, while older stems are smooth. Stripped bark of Scouler's willow has a skunky odor.
A dioecious plant, Scouler's willow has large, single-scaled, floral winter buds, and lacks a terminal bud. Aments, expanding before or with leaves and quickly deciduous, are usually sessile or borne on a short spur shoot and flower profusely. Fruiting catkins are 0.8 to 2.4 inches long (2-6 cm) by 0.4 to 0.6 inches thick (1-1.5 cm) with dark floral bracts 4-5 mm long, one gland, and a capsule 5-8 mm long with dense, short hairs and a somewhat long beak.
Scouler's willow bud development begins in April, leafing out occurs in April and May, stem elongation occurs May through July, and leaf fall occurs in July through November. Earlier leaf fall is correlated with limited moisture availability. Flowering occurs in April through June, with fruit ripening and seed dispersal occurring in May through July.
Acer saccharinum (aka: Silver maple, Soft maple)
Cercis canadensis (aka: Eastern redbud, Redbud, Cersis Reniformis)
Salix gooddingii (aka: Goodding's willow, Dudley willow, Valley willow, Western black willow)
Prunus serotina (aka: Black cherry, Wild black cherry, Rum cherry, Mountain black cherry, Wild cherry)
Celtis laevigata (aka: Hackberry, Sugarberry, Lowland hackberry, Sugar hackberry, Arizona sugarberry, Netleaf hackberry, Small's hackberry, Southern hackberry, Texas sugarberry)
Pyrus communis (aka: European pear, Common pear)
Acer negundo (aka: Boxelder, Western boxelder, Arizona boxelder, California boxelder, Texas boxelder, Interior boxelder, Violet boxelder)
Ungnadia speciosa (aka: Mexican buckeye, Texas buckeye, Canyon buckeye, Spanish buckeye, New Mexican buckeye, New Mexico buckeye, False buckeye, Monillo, Monilla)
Acer glabrum (aka: Rocky Mountain maple, Douglas maple, Greene's maple, New Mexico maple, Torrey maple)
Salix lucida (aka: Shining willow, Greenleaf willow, Tail-leaf willow, Whiplash willow, Pacific willow, Lance-leaf willow, Longleaf willow, Red willow, Western shining willow)
Acer grandidentatum (aka: Bigtooth maple, Canyon maple, Western sugar maple)
Celtis occidentalis (aka: Common hackberry, Bastard elm, Nettle-tree, Northern hackberry)
Malus domestica (aka: Pyrus pumila, Malus pumila, Apple)
Prunus cerasus (aka: Sour cherry, Tart cherry, Dwarf cherry, Montmorency cherry)
Prunus americana (aka: American plum, Goose plum, River plum, Wild plum)
Salix exigua (aka: Narrowleaf willow, Coyote willow)
Populus tremuloides (aka: Quaking aspen, Trembling aspen, Aspen, American aspen, Mountain aspen, Golden aspen, Trembling poplar, White poplar, Popple, Alamo Blanco)
Salix scouleriana (aka: Scouler's willow, Upland willow)
Prunus emarginata (aka: Bitter cherry)
Salix bebbiana (aka: Bebb willow, Beak willow, Beaked willow, Long-beaked willow, Diamond willow, Chaton, Petit Minou, Smooth Bebb willow)
