Salix myrsinifolia
Branches with leaves and catkins
The black willow or black Expectant willow ( Salix myrsinifolia ) is a shrub or rarely tree from the kind of willow ( Salix) with dark brown to black brown branches and upon drying black discoloring leaves. The natural range of the species is in Europe and extends to the west of Siberia. It is very rarely used.
Description
The Black Willow is a 2 to 5 feet high, densely branched shrub or rarely tree with dark-brown to black-brown branches. The shoots are covered with short velvety, rarely more or less bare. The bare wood shows short stripes. The leaves have large, kidney-shaped or ovoid wrong stipules and a 3.5 and 12 rare 15 mm long stem. The leaf blade is 4 to 10 inches long, 1.5 to 5 cm wide, rounded or elliptic to oblong- lanceolate, short acuminate, rounded, rarely almost heart-shaped to wedge base and irregular or wavy or serrated glandular- serrated leaf edge. There shall be 7 to 10 pairs of nerves. The upper leaf surface is glossy dark green and almost glabrous, the lower surface is covered with a gray-green wax layer, the tip is green and hairy at least the leaf veins. The leaves are turning black on drying.
As inflorescences about 3 inches long male or 5 centimeters long formed female kitten. The bracts are small, at the base and light brown towards the tip, with white hair and long gebärtet. It is formed a nectar gland. Male flowers have two hairy at the base of stamens with red anthers. The ovary of female flowers is stalked bald and long. The style is long, the short scar, split and bent sideways. As fruits 6-10 mm long capsules are formed. The black willow blooming just before the leaves emerge from April to May
The chromosome number is 2n = 114
Occurrence and habitat requirements
The natural range extends from northern Europe (Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK ) through Central Europe ( Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Poland and Switzerland ) to Eastern Europe ( Belarus, the Baltic States, Russia ) and southern Europe ( south and east of France, Italy, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia). In Asia, there are also resources in Western Siberia. The black willow grows in floodplains and waters banks on fresh to moist, slightly acidic to alkaline subsoil of sand, gravel or crushed stone at sunny to light shade, cool to cold locations. The distribution area is the hardiness zone 4 is associated with mean annual minimum temperatures -34.4 to -28.9 ° C (-30 ° to -20 ° F).
System
The black willow ( Salix myrsinifolia ) is a species in the genus of the willow ( Salix) in the family of the willow family ( Salicaceae ). It was described in 1796 by Richard Anthony Salisbury for the first time scientifically. The genus name Salix comes from Latin and was already used by the Romans for various species of willows. The specific epithet is derived myrsinifolia " flaky " from the Latin myrsine " myrtle " and folia for from. Why the name was chosen is unclear, the leaves resemble neither those of the myrtle ( Myrtus communis ), nor those of the genus Myrsine.
A commonly used synonym is Salix nigricans Sm
Use
The Black Willow is very rarely used.