Salix viminalis L.

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Salicaceae

• Scientific Name

  Salix viminalis L.

• Description

  Species Description - Few-stemmed shrub or tree to 15 m; twigs slender, yellowish to reddish- brown, puberulent to glabrous; stipules mostly wanting, or lance-linear and to 9 mm; petioles to 1 cm; lvs lance- linear, 5–12(–17) cm × 5–15(–20) mm, long-acuminate, revolute, entire or shallowly undulate, dull green and puberulent with impressed veins above, densely short-sericeous with yellow midrib beneath, the primary lateral veins numerous, wide-angled; catkins with the lvs, subsessile, 2–6 cm, mostly naked; scales 1.5–2.5 mm, black, thinly villous; stamens 2; frs lanceolate, 4–6 mm, subsessile, densely short-sericeous; style 0.7–1.2 mm; 2n=38. Native of Eurasia, occasionally escaped from cult. in our range. A hybrid with S. caprea is S. ×smithiana Willd.

• Common Names

  silky osier