The Morton Arb

Trees & Gardens

Use our Interactive Collections Map and our Plant Collections Map to identify where plants are located on our grounds.

Explore our Plant Database

Integrated data of The Morton Arboretum's living collections, herbarium, interactive collections map, and photographs. Search database

How Plants are Named
The words in the scientific name of a plant all mean something. Learn how plants get such interesting names. Click here

How To Read a Plant Label at the Arboretum

Taxonomic Groups

No flash and/or javascript

Willow Family: Trees of Enchantment

The entrance to this collection is framed by two large golden weeping willows. Once past these graceful guards, a small bridge leads over the DuPage River and into the grassy clearing. This is an ideal location for our Willow Collection, as many species are well-adapted to the moist conditions of a floodplain.

Willow Tree at The Morton Arboretum

Willows are deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae. There are more than 300 species in this genus, mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere. Willows bear flowers in spikes of drooping clusters (called catkins) early in the spring before leaves unfurl. Individual flowers are small but the catkins for some species are conspicuous and very attractive.

The Willow Collection was started in 1982 and is represented by 57 different kinds of willows and poplars. This collection is sited on nearly five acres, almost completely encircled by water from Willoway Brook and the DuPage River. The collection can be entered from the West Side Trail head which is dominated by two magnificent golden weeping willows (Salix alba 'Tristis').

A beautiful place to explore late in the year, the Willow Collection exhibits incredible diversity of willows and poplars. The specimen sizes vary greatly: you will find a ground hugging silver creeping willow (Salix repens var.nitida), and you will also find many large shrubs and trees, like the laurel willow (Salix pentandra) which has unusually glossy leaves.

Among the poplars in the collection, Korean poplar (Populus koreana) leafs out first. The tree is easily recognized by its bright green large swelling buds. Another interesting species is swamp cottonwood (Populus heterophylla). The leaves of this bottomland species are large and measure up to seven inches! Another plant of note is chosenia (Chosenia arbutifolia), with its unique whitish young stems. This is the only species in the genus Chosenia, and it is very closely related to the willows.