Salix boothii

Salix boothii is a species of willow known by the common name Booth's willow.[1]

Salix boothii

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Salix
Species:
S. boothii
Binomial name
Salix boothii
Dorn

It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and New Mexico.[1] It grows in moist mountain habitat, such as riverbanks.

Description

Salix boothii is a shrub which can reach 6 metres (20 ft) in height. It is larger and has more branches in well-drained soils, and takes a smaller, simpler form in saturated areas such as bogs.[2] The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with a pointed tip and smooth-edged or lightly serrated. They are up to 10 cm long when mature with a shiny top surface; new leaves are covered in shaggy white hairs.[3]

The inflorescences develop before the leaves grow, or simultaneously. Male catkins are up to about 4 cm long and female catkins are up to 7 cm. Male flowers have two stamens each. Its bloom period is May and June.[4]

It reproduces sexually by seed and also vegetatively by sprouting from its stem base and root system, allowing it to produce colonies of clones.[2]

Uses

This willow forms dense colonial thickets and it can be used for erosion control in riparian zone habitats in its native range.[2] It is also tolerant of wildfire, resprouting relatively easily after aboveground parts have been burned away.[2]

References


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