Salix integra
Encyclopedia
Salix integra is a species of willow
native to northeastern China
, Japan
, Korea
and Primorsky Krai
in the far southeast of Russia
.
It is a deciduous
shrub
growing to 2–6 m tall with greyish-green bark and reddish to yellowish shoots. The leaves
are 2-10 cm long and 1-2 cm wide; they are pale green both above and below, and unusually for a willow, are often arranged in opposite pairs or whorls of three, rather than alternate. The flower
s are produced in small catkin
s 1-2.5 cm long in early spring; they are brownish to reddish in colour. It is dioecious
, with male and female catkins on separate plants.
It is closely related to the European and western Asian Salix purpurea, and has been treated as a variety of it by some authors, as S. purpurea var. multinervis (Franchet & Savatier) Matsumura, or as a subspecies S. purpurea subsp. amplexicaulis (Chaubard) C.K.Schneid.
The cultivar
'Hakuro Nishiki' (dappled willow) is widely grown as an ornamental plant
for its variegated
foliage, the leaves strongly mottled with patches and blotches of white and pale pink. As its growth is fairly weak and shrubby, it is commonly sold grafted
on the top of a straight stem of another 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...
native to northeastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
in the far southeast of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
It is a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
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...
growing to 2–6 m tall with greyish-green bark and reddish to yellowish shoots. The 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 2-10 cm long and 1-2 cm wide; they are pale green both above and below, and unusually for a willow, are often arranged in opposite pairs or whorls of three, rather than alternate. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in small 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 1-2.5 cm long in early spring; they are brownish to reddish in colour. It 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 catkins on separate plants.
It is closely related to the European and western Asian Salix purpurea, and has been treated as a variety of it by some authors, as S. purpurea var. multinervis (Franchet & Savatier) Matsumura, or as a subspecies S. purpurea subsp. amplexicaulis (Chaubard) C.K.Schneid.
Cultivation and uses
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
'Hakuro Nishiki' (dappled willow) is widely grown as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
for its variegated
Variegation
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves, and sometimes the stems, of plants. This may be due to a number of causes...
foliage, the leaves strongly mottled with patches and blotches of white and pale pink. As its growth is fairly weak and shrubby, it is commonly sold grafted
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
on the top of a straight stem of another willow.