''Salix breweri'' is a species of willow known by the common name Brewer's willow. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

s of the

Coast Ranges The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although the ...

in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a riparian

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

growing one to four meters in height. The yellowish or reddish brown stems are lightly hairy in texture, the small twigs coated in velvety fibers. The leaves are generally lance-shaped, smooth-edged or gently toothed, and partially rolled under along the edges. The leaves are hairy, with the lower surfaces often quite woolly. Mature leaves may be 14 centimeters long or more. The inflorescence is a

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...

which develops before the plant produces leaves. The catkins are up to 5 or 6 centimeters long, the female ones lengthening further as the fruits develop.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
breweri Endemic flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Salicaceae-stub