Salix hookeriana
Encyclopedia
Salix hookeriana is a species of willow
known by the common names dune willow, coastal willow, and Hooker's willow. It is native to the west coast of North America from Alaska
to northern California
, where it grows in coastal habitat such as beach
es, marsh
es, floodplain
s, and canyon
s. It is a shrub
or tree
growing up to 8 meters tall, sometimes forming bushy colonial thickets. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long, generally oval in shape, wavy along the edges, and hairy to woolly in texture with shiny upper surfaces. The inflorescence
is a catkin
of flowers up to 9 or more centimeters long, the female catkins growing longer as the fruits develop. This willow may hybridize with similar species.
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 names dune willow, coastal willow, and Hooker's willow. It is native to the west coast of North America 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...
to northern 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...
, where it grows in coastal habitat such as beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es, 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, floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s, and canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
s. 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...
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...
growing up to 8 meters tall, sometimes forming bushy colonial thickets. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long, generally oval in shape, wavy along the edges, and hairy to woolly in texture with shiny upper surfaces. 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...
is a 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...
of flowers up to 9 or more centimeters long, the female catkins growing longer as the fruits develop. This willow may hybridize with similar species.