Almond willow is a Eurasian willow whose male flowers carry three , while most willows have two. Its common name comes from its leaves, which look a lot like almond leaves. It isn't native to North America, but it was brought in as a basket-making willow and has been reported as an introduced plant in a few eastern states and Canadian provinces.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Older bark flakes off in scales, showing brown bark beneath.
- Growth form
- A deciduous shrub or small tree up to about 33 ft (10 m) tall, usually with several stems.
- Leaves
- Lance-shaped and finely toothed, 1.5–4.5 in (4–11 cm) long, dull dark green above and green to bluish green below. A pair of leafy often sits at the base of the leaf stalk.
- Flowers
- Male and female catkins grow on separate trees and appear in spring along with the new leaves. Male catkins are 1–3 in (2.5–8 cm) long with yellow anthers. Insects carry the pollen.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Riverbanks
- Stream banks
- Wetlands
- Range
- Native across temperate Eurasia, from southeastern England and Spain east to Lake Baikal. In a broad sense the species also includes plants in Korea, Japan, and northern China, which some botanists treat as a separate species. In North America it is an introduced, often overlooked plant.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows along water, on wet, low-lying ground.
Growing it
- Care
- Its flexible shoots are widely used in basketmaking, where it ranks just behind common osier among basket willows.
Name and classification
- About the name
- The scientific name triandra means "three stamens." Some botanists treat the East Asian plants as a separate species (Salix nipponica, also called S. subfragilis); others keep them in Salix triandra.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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