Plant Details

Salix repens

Creeping Willow

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Explore the size, hardiness, soil, light, edible uses and harvest period of Salix repens.

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Common names

23 names · 19 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Creeping Willow[1]
Other languages (18)
Dutch
French
  • Saule rampant[1]
  • Saule à feuilles étroites[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
  • vrba plazivá[1]
Danish
  • Krybende Pil[1]
Estonian
Finnish
Galician
  • salgueiro rastreiro[1]
German
  • Kriech-Weide[1]
Hungarian
  • Cinegefűz[1]
Irish
  • Saileach reatha[1]
Lithuanian
  • Gulsčiasis karklas[1]
Norwegian
Polish
  • Wierzba płożąca[1]
Portuguese
  • Borrazeira-rasteira[1]
  • Salgueiro-anão[1]
  • Salgueiro-rastejante[1]
Russian
  • Ива ползучая[1]
Slovak
  • vŕba plazivá[1]
Swedish
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Salix repens — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Creeping Willow — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Salgueiro-rastejante — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Salgueiro-anão — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • vrba plazivá — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Saule rampant — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • krypvier — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Kruipwilg — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Siropaju — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • heivier — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Kriech-Weide — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Gulsčiasis karklas — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Krybende Pil — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Borrazeira-rasteira — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • hundvide — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Ива ползучая — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • hanepaju — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Wierzba płożąca — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Cinegefűz — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Saileach reatha — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • vŕba plazivá — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • 匍匐柳 — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • Saule à feuilles étroites — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.
  • salgueiro rastreiro — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 321283; Salix repens.

General information

Scientific name: Salix repens
Accepted name (Kew): Salix repens L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Botanical family: Salicaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Salix (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Creeping Willow
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Shrub
Catalogue size class: Medium
Height: 1.00 m
Spread: 1.50 m
Growth rate: Slow
Foliage: Deciduous

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4-8
Soil moisture:
Moist
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Full sun, Partial shade

Uses

Edible parts:
Inner bark
Edibility rating:
(1)
Medicinal rating:
(1)
Functions:
Pioneer species

Description

Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into powder, and then added to grain flour to make bread and such. It has a very bitter taste and is only used as food during famine, when all other options have been exhausted. Young shoots - cooked. Not very tasty.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/09
Harvest ends: 28/02

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1427267; name ID 2918656; Salix L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 217380; name ID 2920604; Salix repens L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.