It is native to the vast reaches of Alaska as well as the northern forests and wetlands of Canada (British Columbia east to Newfoundland), and is also found in the northern portions of the contiguous United States (Washington east to Maine, and south to Maryland).

[2][4][5] It is a weak-wooded deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 6 m (20 ft) tall, with brown shoots.

The flowers are soft silky silvery catkins, borne in early spring before the new leaves appear, with the male and female catkins on different plants (dioecious); the male catkins mature yellow at pollen release.

The fruit is a small capsule 7–12 mm long containing numerous minute seeds embedded in cottony down.

[5] As with the closely related Salix caprea (European pussy willow), it is also often grown for cut flowers.