Salix species ( derived from another thread)

[Lesley Cox]

S. yezoalpina is beautiful Darren. What a wonderful variety there is the the catkins of various species, white, cream, yellow, pink and red, even black.

Mark, watch out for your full head of hair. After this hard winter the birds will be after it for nesting material. They pluck wool from sheep's backs here, and take the shed hairs from Cain and Teddy. It could be a painful experience for you.

[cohan]

Here is Salix (nakamurana var) yezoalpina. The leaves are 5cm long at maturity. As I said - sort of a giant version of reticulata. But rather more rampant....

Mark - interesting that you grow reticulata in full sun. It didn;t like it here. I wonder if my clone is of more arctic provenance!  I did once inherit some imported arctic turf left over from an experiment at work and from this I rescued several dwarf shrubs (empetrum, betula nana, Salix herbacea). None of those clones survived the first hot summer whereas nursery clones of each are a little more tolerant! Though S herbacea isn't too keen.

another nice one! i could see myself having a bunch of these--i really love the totally flat ones, but i can even manage those that are a couple of feet or more high and spread--if they want some square metres i can give it to them
i have one that i grew from a cutting somewhere in the mts of alberta or b.c. when i was a teen, its one of the few things that survived in my rock garden while i was away a couple of decades-with competition from natives forbs and grasses it spread very slightly and grew to maybe a little over a metre high; not a really exquisite sp, but a useful size in the landscape..

[Lori S.]

Checking the Hulten's Flora of Alaska, there are 56 Salix species described, most having 2 or more subspecies described, more than half the species are dwarf.  For S. reticulata ssp. reticulata, it is described as "leaves extremely variable in form and pubescence".  Also described is S. reticulata var. gigantifolia (leaves 5 cm in diameter), f. villosa (pubescent on both sides with long, silky, white hairs), var. semicalva (glabrous on both sides), ssp. orbicularis (leaves more rounded to cordate, glabrous or nearly so, glabrous petioles and stems), and ssp. glabellicarpa (possibly a hybrid, glabrous or partly pubescent capsules).  So... it's variable!   

Interestingly, most species described are circumpolar to some extent.  The text indicates lots of introgression and hybridization among "species".  The one I'd like to see, is S. tschuktschorum (syn. S. berberifolia), that has shiny holly-like spinulose leaves.

Thanks for the info, Mark.  Yes, 35 species of native willows here apparently (including S. lanata, which is circumpolar), with 13 of those described as either "dwarf" or under a meter... (most of ours probably also found in Alaska, as a guess.)
We have S. reticulata ssp. nivalis and ssp. reticulata (rare), on which only the lower surfaces of the leaves are said to be hairy, so that explains the difference between the ones I see in the mountains here and Mark's wonderfully furry plant.

So, willow experts, any guesses as to the ID of this one that I saw in the nearby eastern slope Rockies alpine zone last summer?  It's a very tiny-leaved one.  The ring, added for scale, is 16mm in diameter.  I'd guess, from the leaf size, S. vestita... ?

[Lori S.]

If it is indeed what it's thought to be, it seems this one should stay low to the ground (?)... Salix cf. kurilensis.  I've only had this for a couple of years - the fuzzy leaves, yellow catkins (with orange pollen)  and the fact that it's already been much more willing to bloom than my other willows, seem promising.  Does anyone grow it?

[Robert G]

Lori,

I don't grow it, but I wish I did. Beautiful plant. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it?

Robert

[Lori S.]

From Wrightman's, Robert.

[Robert G]

Thank you for that Lori. They don't have it listed this year, but a couple nice little Salix are listed.

[cohan]

Thank you for that Lori. They don't have it listed this year, but a couple nice little Salix are listed.

never hurts to ask, sometimes a grower might still have a few of something even if not enough to list currently...

[Jiri Papousek]

It is sometimes good to be in Alps in October , as you can get salix seeds, see below. The problem is that as far as I know, they loose germinability very quickly. So far I had no success with salix seeds , it also true that I didn't pay them any special treatment or attention. I add double colour form I could see this year in France. I took cuttings with me, so spring will show. I prefer cuttings, as it is much faster as well then from seeds.

[cohan]

It is sometimes good to be in Alps in October , as you can get salix seeds, see below. The problem is that as far as I know, they loose germinability very quickly. So far I had no success with salix seeds , it also true that I didn't pay them any special treatment or attention. I add double colour form I could see this year in France. I took cuttings with me, so spring will show. I prefer cuttings, as it is much faster as well then from seeds.

wow-thats a lot of wool!
so far the only ones i have seen are in national parks, so no cuttings! i will have to look more in provincial forestry areas, where there are more possibilities..

[Lesley Cox]

Jiri it would be good to get cuttings from both those forms and grow them together. (In no time, you'll have a small nursery )

[Ru]

I welcome! Most likely, I will have 3 weeks to look for interesting Salix (June-July 2014). How you think, it will be possible to find something interesting in mountains to the north of Baikal ? In the mountain tundra. Probably, there will be recommendations?

[Susann]

Does anyone know the name of this one? Found it, without label, in Czech garden?

[Maggi Young]

Looks like Salix hylematica

[Susann]

Thank you! Now I just have to find out what S hylematica might think about Mariannelund, then. ( And if it is available here in Sweden) Perhaps, if I do find it I can try to speak Scottish to it, to convince it that both me and the environment are very friendly? S x boydii for exampel is still alive after many years, but Hannelotte Kindlund laught out loud the other year when she spotted it, smaller than my smallest finger ( Does the fingers have different names in English, besides thumb and index finger?)