''Salix lemmonii'' is a species of
willow known by the common name Lemmon's willow, named after
J.G. Lemmon. It is native to western North America from
British Columbia to
California to
Colorado, where it grows in moist and wet areas in mountain coniferous forest habitat, such as streambanks and meadows.
Description
''Salix lemmonii'' is a
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 1 to 4 meters tall, sometimes forming colonial thickets. Its stems arise in a cluster and spread into many slender, angular branches. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long, lance-shaped to oval with pointed tips, smooth or lightly serrated along the edges, and hairless and waxy or slightly hairy. The
inflorescence is a stout
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 ...
of flowers a few centimeters long, the female catkins lengthening to 6 or 7 centimeters as the fruits develop. This willow sometimes
hybridizes with ''
Salix geyeriana
''Salix geyeriana'' is a species of willow known by the common names Geyer's willow, Geyer willow and silver willow. The type specimen was collected by the botanist Karl Andreas Geyer, for whom it was named. Its conspicuous, yellow flowers begin ...
'', to which it is closely related.
[US Forest Service Fire Ecology]
/ref>
This shrub is commonly used in revegetation projects in its native range, where it is useful for stabilizing eroded riparian habitat.[
]
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Salix lemmonii''''Salix lemmonii'' - Photo gallery
lemmonii
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of British Columbia
Flora of California
Flora of Colorado
Flora of Nevada
Flora of the Great Basin
Flora of the Rocky Mountains
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
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Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Salicaceae-stub