Salix boothii
Encyclopedia
Salix boothii is a species of willow
known by the common name Booth's willow. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
and Alberta
to California
and New Mexico
, where it grows in moist mountain habitat, such as riverbanks. It is a shrub
which can reach six meters in height. It is larger and has more branches in well-drained soils, and takes a smaller, simpler form in saturated areas such as bog
s. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with a pointed tip and smooth-edged or lightly serrated. They are up to 10 centimeters long when mature with a shiny top surface; new leaves are covered in shaggy white hairs. The inflorescence
s develop before the leaves grow, or simultaneously. Male catkin
s are up to about 4 centimeters long and female catkins are up to 7. Male flowers have two stamen
s each.
This willow forms dense colonial thickets and it can be used for erosion
control in riparian habitats in its native range. It reproduces sexually
by seed and also vegetatively
by sprouting from its stem base and root system, allowing it to produce colonies of clones
. It is also tolerant of wildfire
, resprouting relatively easily after aboveground parts have been burned away.
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...
known by the common name Booth's willow. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
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 New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where it grows in moist mountain habitat, such as riverbanks. It is a 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...
which can reach six meters in height. It is larger and has more branches in well-drained soils, and takes a smaller, simpler form in saturated areas such as 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. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with a pointed tip and smooth-edged or lightly serrated. They are up to 10 centimeters long when mature with a shiny top surface; new leaves are covered in shaggy white hairs. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s develop before the leaves grow, or simultaneously. Male 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 are up to about 4 centimeters long and female catkins are up to 7. Male flowers have two stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s each.
This willow forms dense colonial thickets and it can be used for erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
control in riparian habitats in its native range. It reproduces sexually
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
by seed and also vegetatively
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...
by sprouting from its stem base and root system, allowing it to produce 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...
. It is also tolerant of wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
, resprouting relatively easily after aboveground parts have been burned away.