Salix purpurea

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Salix purpurea
Salix purpurea 003.jpg
Catkins
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Salix
Species:
S. purpurea
Binomial name
Salix purpurea
L.
Subspecies and forms [2]
  • Salix purpurea subsp. eburnea(Borzì) Cif. & Giacom. ex S.Pignatti
  • Salix purpurea f. gracilisWimm.
  • Salix purpurea subsp. leucodermisYalt.
  • Salix purpurea subsp. purpurea
Synonyms [2]
  • Knafia purpurea(L.) Opiz
  • Salix helix var. purpurea(L.) Lej.
  • Salix monandraArd.
  • Salix monandra var. purpurea(L.) Boenn.
  • Vetrix purpurea(L.) Raf.

Salix purpurea, the purple willow, [3] purpleosier willow, [4] or purple osier, is a species of willow native to most of Europe and north to the British Isles, Poland, and the Baltic States, [5] [6] [7] and Turkey, the Caucasus, and northwestern Africa. [2]

Foliage Salix-purpurea-leaves.JPG
Foliage

It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1–3 m (rarely to 5 m) tall, with purple-brown to yellow-brown shoots, turning pale grey on old stems. The leaves are 2–8 cm (rarely to 12 cm) long and 0.3–1 cm (rarely 2 cm) wide; they are dark green above, glaucous green below, and unusually for a willow, are often arranged in opposite pairs rather than alternate. The flowers are small catkins 1.5-4.5 cm long, produced in early spring; they are often purple or red in colour, hence the name of the species (other willows mostly have whitish, yellow or green catkins).

Four subspecies and forms are accepted. [2]

It is replaced further east in Asia by the closely related species Salix sinopurpurea (syn. S. purpurea var. longipetiolatea). [8]

The weeping cultivar 'Pendula' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [9] [10] As with several other willows, the shoots, called withies, are often used in basketry. The wood of this and other willow species is used in making cricket bats. [6] [7]

References

  1. ↑ Rivers, M.C., Mark, J. & Khela, S. (2017). "Salix purpurea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T203471A68107793. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T203471A68107793.en . Retrieved 11 April 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Salix purpurea L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ↑ NRCS. "Salix purpurea". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Flora Europaea: Salix purpurea
  6. 1 2 Meikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN   0-901158-07-0.
  7. 1 2 Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN   0-00-220013-9.
  8. ↑ Flora of China: Salix sinopurpurea
  9. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Salix purpurea 'Pendula'" . Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 93. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
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