''Salix ligulifolia'' is a species of
willow known by the common name strapleaf willow.
It is native to the western United States. It grows in moist and wet habitat, such as riverbanks,
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s, and
floodplains, such as in the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
in
California.
Description
''Salix ligulifolia'' 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 up to 8 meters tall. The lance-shaped leaves may grow over 13 centimeters long. They are finely serrated along the edges, with some leaves appearing almost smooth-edged or studded with glands. The
inflorescence is a hairy
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, male catkins short and stout, measuring up to 3 or 4 centimeters long, and female catkins often a bit longer.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Salix ligulifolia''
ligulifolia
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora of California
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Salicaceae-stub