Salix bebbiana
Encyclopedia
Salix bebbiana is a species
of Willow
that is indigenous to Canada
and the northern United States
, from Alaska
and Yukon
south to California
and Arizona
and north-east to Newfoundland and New England
. Common names include beaked willow, long-beaked willow, gray willow, and Bebb's willow.
This plant is typically a large, fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub
or small, shrubby tree
capable of forming dense colonial thickets. It can be found in loose, saturated soils such as that on riverbanks, lakesides, swamp
s, marsh
es, and bog
s. It is capable or tolerating heavy clay
and rocky soils, making it highly adaptable and durable. It is a dominant species in many marshland areas in its native range.
Leaves
are alternately arranged, simple, and ovate in shape, widest near the midrib and narrowing to a tapering base and pointed tip. The leaf edges are serrated, with large, coarse, irregular teeth, a characteristic that distinguishes the species from other willows, which have much finer serrations on their leaves. The leaves are dull blue green in color and smooth in texture when mature; new leaves are coated in downy hairs. The leaves are up to 5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Like other willows, this plant is dioecious
, with male and female plants producing small, dangling catkin
s. Female flowers yield spherical seeds covered in long, threadlike fibers that help them disperse
on the wind. The plant also spreads via vegetative reproduction
, sprouting from the base of the stem or from segments of root, and by layering
, allowing the plant to form colonies of clones
.
This is the most important species of diamond willow
, a type of willow which produces fine, colorful wood
used for carving. The twigs and branches are used by Native Americans for basket weaving
and arrowmaking
.
Many parts of the plant are consumed by animals, especially domestic cattle
, which find the foliage a palatable forage
.
This species readily hybridizes with several other species of willow.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
that is indigenous to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the northern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
south to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and north-east to Newfoundland and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Common names include beaked willow, long-beaked willow, gray willow, and Bebb's willow.
This plant is typically a large, fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small, shrubby tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
capable of forming dense colonial thickets. It can be found in loose, saturated soils such as that on riverbanks, lakesides, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, and bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s. It is capable or tolerating heavy clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
and rocky soils, making it highly adaptable and durable. It is a dominant species in many marshland areas in its native range.
Leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternately arranged, simple, and ovate in shape, widest near the midrib and narrowing to a tapering base and pointed tip. The leaf edges are serrated, with large, coarse, irregular teeth, a characteristic that distinguishes the species from other willows, which have much finer serrations on their leaves. The leaves are dull blue green in color and smooth in texture when mature; new leaves are coated in downy hairs. The leaves are up to 5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Like other willows, this plant is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male and female plants producing small, dangling catkin
Catkin
A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated but sometimes insect pollinated . They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem which is often drooping...
s. Female flowers yield spherical seeds covered in long, threadlike fibers that help them disperse
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
on the wind. The plant also spreads via vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
, sprouting from the base of the stem or from segments of root, and by layering
Layering
Layering is a means of plant propagation in which a portion of an aerial stem grows roots while still attached to the parent plant and then detaches as an independent plant. Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments...
, allowing the plant to form colonies of clones
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
.
This is the most important species of diamond willow
Diamond willow
Diamond willow is willow with wood that is deformed into diamond-shaped segments with alternating colors. This is most likely the result of attack by a fungus , which causes cankers to form in the wood in response to the infection...
, a type of willow which produces fine, colorful wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
used for carving. The twigs and branches are used by Native Americans for basket weaving
Basket weaving
Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...
and arrowmaking
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
.
Many parts of the plant are consumed by animals, especially domestic cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, which find the foliage a palatable forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
.
This species readily hybridizes with several other species of willow.