Salix Gardening Tips    | |||||
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Salix is a genus of deciduous trees and shrubs in family Salicaceae, comprising about 400 species. Willow, sallow, and osier form the genus Salix. It is native to the temperate regions in Northern Hemisphere. Most species are known as willow. Osiers are referred to some narrow-leaved shrub species and Sallow are of the broader-leaved species. Arctic and alpine species are low-growing or creeping shrubs, like Salix herbaceous ( Dwarf willow ) which rarely exceed 6cm in height but can spread widely across the ground. Weeping willow (Salix x sepulcralis) is a well-known ornamental plant which is a hybrid of Peking willow (Salix babylonica) from China and white willow (Salix alba) from Europe. There are male and female willow plants ( dioecious), with flowers appearing as catkins in early spring. The fruit of willow is a small cylindrical beaked capsule containing many tiny seeds in two-valved. The tiny seeds have long, silky, white hairs which allows them to be carried away by wind. Willows are often planted at the side of the streams as their interlacing roots protect the banks from erosion but recent studies showed that the roots are too widespread and aggressive in seeking out moisture that they clogged and damaged French drains, weeping tiles, ceramic tiles, concrete, tile, pipes, sewer and drainage systems. Plant Salix in sun, in moisture-retentive and well-drained soil. Propagation is by greenwood cuttings in summer or hardwood cutting in winter. Pests and diseases are aphids, caterpillars, anthracnose (symptoms is small area of dead tissue) and honey fungus.  Salix polaris Author: Michael Haferkamp (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)  Salix hastata Author: SiGarb (public domain)  Salix elaeagnos Author: Franz Xaver (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)  Salix discolor Author: MPF (public domain)  Salix alba Author: Willow (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic)  Salix babylonica Author: KENPEI (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)  Salix x sepulcralis Author: Aka (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic) | |||||
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