Salix taxifolia
Encyclopedia
Salix taxifolia is a species of willow
native to all of southern Mexico
, also Pacific Coast regions, north to Sinaloa
, and in the south Pacific Coast of Mexico into central Guatemala
.
Three other areas of its range occur in mostly northwest Mexico, first the southwest U.S. with mostly Sonora
and Chihuahua as part of the Madrean Sky Islands
region; the next two areas are part of the mountains of far west Texas
, and the lake region west and south of central Chihuahua.
It is a large shrub
or tree
with needle-like leaves similar to a yew, thus its common name. Its range is identical to the Bonpland Willow, S. bonplandiana
.
south of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
and the Pacific coast region, then into Pacific coast–central Guatemala
.
Besides the core range area, (of the northern Sierra Madre Occidentals) in Arizona–New Mexico and northeast Sonora, two larger disjunct
regions occur in west Texas
and central Chihuahua. South of Chihuahua, Chihuahua
it is found at the Conchos River, and west of the city, a large area at the lake region. It also occurs in scattered, isolated locales of Durango
, Sinaloa
, and in the northeast at Nuevo Leon
and Tamaulipas
: also extreme southern Baja California Sur
, (west of Sinaloa-Durango across the Sea of Cortez). Besides parts of the Sierra Madre Occidental, locales occur in the southern Sierra Madre Oriental
cordillera, but also small isolated locales as far northeast as the northeast states.
The range of Yewleaf Willow is identical to the Bonpland Willow, Salix bonplandiana
, except the S. bonplandiana covers almost the entire north-south extent of the Sierra Madre Occidentals; Yewleaf is more intermittent in that range.
have identical ranges: both species range from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
southward, on an imaginary centerline into central Guatemala
. Each is on the Pacific Coast, but leave the coastal strip
before the range into central Guatemala. Both have their disjunct
ranges in Arizona, both being in the Madrean Sky Islands
region. Both also range into Baja California Sur
, but S. taxifolia only at the extreme south. (S. bonplandiana also occurs in Arizona, in the Mogollon Rim–White Mountains regions.)
The other differences between the two: S. taxofolia occurs in minor locales of the Sierra Madre Oriental
cordillera, and S. bonplandiana occurs in the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera northwest to southwest Durango
. S. taxifolia occurs west of the Occidental cordillera in the south Pacific Coast north to southern Sinaloa
–southwest Durango. B. bonplandiana has a few locales on the Mexican Plateau
, (with both occurring in central Chihuahua, west of Chihuahua, Chihuahua
). Other minor locale differences occur in central New Mexico
, far west Texas
, Coahuila
, Nuevo Leon
, and Tamaulipas
.
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...
native to all of southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, also Pacific Coast regions, north to Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, and in the south Pacific Coast of Mexico into central Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
Three other areas of its range occur in mostly northwest Mexico, first the southwest U.S. with mostly Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Chihuahua as part of the Madrean Sky Islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
region; the next two areas are part of the mountains of far west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and the lake region west and south of central Chihuahua.
It is a large 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 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...
with needle-like leaves similar to a yew, thus its common name. Its range is identical to the Bonpland Willow, S. bonplandiana
Salix bonplandiana
Salix bonplandiana , , is a perennial species of willow tree native to southern and southwest Mexico and extending into central Guatemala; in western Mexico it is a tree of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, but also occurring in other small locales, for example Baja California Sur, northern...
.
Distribution
The main range of Yewleaf Willow is southern MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
south of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
and the Pacific coast region, then into Pacific coast–central Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
Besides the core range area, (of the northern Sierra Madre Occidentals) in Arizona–New Mexico and northeast Sonora, two larger disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
regions occur in west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and central Chihuahua. South of Chihuahua, Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
it is found at the Conchos River, and west of the city, a large area at the lake region. It also occurs in scattered, isolated locales of Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, and in the northeast at Nuevo Leon
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
and Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
: also extreme southern Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
, (west of Sinaloa-Durango across the Sea of Cortez). Besides parts of the Sierra Madre Occidental, locales occur in the southern Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
cordillera, but also small isolated locales as far northeast as the northeast states.
The range of Yewleaf Willow is identical to the Bonpland Willow, Salix bonplandiana
Salix bonplandiana
Salix bonplandiana , , is a perennial species of willow tree native to southern and southwest Mexico and extending into central Guatemala; in western Mexico it is a tree of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, but also occurring in other small locales, for example Baja California Sur, northern...
, except the S. bonplandiana covers almost the entire north-south extent of the Sierra Madre Occidentals; Yewleaf is more intermittent in that range.
Identical ranges of S. taxifolia, S. bonplandiana
Both S. taxifolia, and S. bonpandianaSalix bonplandiana
Salix bonplandiana , , is a perennial species of willow tree native to southern and southwest Mexico and extending into central Guatemala; in western Mexico it is a tree of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, but also occurring in other small locales, for example Baja California Sur, northern...
have identical ranges: both species range from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
southward, on an imaginary centerline into central Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. Each is on the Pacific Coast, but leave the coastal strip
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
before the range into central Guatemala. Both have their disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
ranges in Arizona, both being in the Madrean Sky Islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
region. Both also range into Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
, but S. taxifolia only at the extreme south. (S. bonplandiana also occurs in Arizona, in the Mogollon Rim–White Mountains regions.)
The other differences between the two: S. taxofolia occurs in minor locales of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
cordillera, and S. bonplandiana occurs in the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera northwest to southwest Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
. S. taxifolia occurs west of the Occidental cordillera in the south Pacific Coast north to southern Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
–southwest Durango. B. bonplandiana has a few locales on the Mexican Plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
, (with both occurring in central Chihuahua, west of Chihuahua, Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
). Other minor locale differences occur in central 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...
, far west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, Nuevo Leon
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, and Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
.