Difference between revisions of "Peking Willow"

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{{Taxobox
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{{SPlantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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|familia=Salicaceae
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| name = Weeping willow
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|genus=Salix
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| status = Threatened
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|species=babylonica
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| image = SalixBabylonica.jpg
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|taxo_author=L.
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| image_width = 240px
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|common_name=Peking willow, Weeping willow
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| image_caption = Peking Willows planted at [[Shijiazhuang]], south of [[Beijing]], China
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|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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|habit=tree
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
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|Max ht box=40
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| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
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|Max ht metric=ft
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| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
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|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| genus = ''[[Willow|Salix]]''
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|Max wd box=35
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| species = '''''S. babylonica'''''
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|Max wd metric=ft
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| binomial = ''Salix babylonica''
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|width_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
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|origin=China
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|origin_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
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|lifespan=perennial
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|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|exposure=sun
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|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|water=wet, moist
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|water_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
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|features=deciduous
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|Temp Metric=°F
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|min_zone=5
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|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|max_zone=10
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|sunset_zones=3-24, 26n, 28, 30-34, 39
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|image=SalixBabylonica.jpg
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|image_width=240
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|image_caption=Peking Willows
 
}}
 
}}
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The '''Weeping willow''' (''Salix x pendulina and Salix x sepulcralis''), also known as the '''Babylon willow''' or '''Peking willow''', is a species of [[willow]] native to dry areas of northern [[China]], but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in [[Asia]], being traded along the [[silk road]] to [[Babylon]], hence the scientific name.
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'''''Salix babylonica''''' ('''Babylon Willow''' (var. ''babylonica'') or '''Peking Willow''' (var. ''matsudana''); is a species of [[willow]] native to dry areas of northern [[China]], but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in [[Asia]], being traded along the [[silk road]] to southwest Asia and [[Europe]].<ref name=foc>Flora of China: [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005760 ''Salix babylonica'']</ref><ref name=grin>Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?32683 ''Salix babylonica'']</ref>
  
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[[Image:Willow Salix babylonica.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Leaves of Peking Willow]]
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It is a large-sized to medium [[deciduous]] tree, growing up to 20-25 m tall. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan. The shoots are yellowish-brown, with small buds. The [[leaf|leaves]] are spirally arranged, narrow, light green, 4-16 cm long and 0.5-2 cm broad, with finely serrate margins and long [[leaf shape|acuminate]] tips ; they turn a gold-yellow in autumn. The [[flower]]s are arranged in [[catkin]]s produced early in the spring; it is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with the male and female catkins on separate trees.<ref name=foc/><ref name=rhs>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.</ref>
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It is a medium-sized to large [[deciduous]] tree, growing up to 20-25 m tall. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan. It has narrow, light green leaves, around 4-10 cm long and 1-2 cm broad. The [[flower]]s are [[catkin]]s produced early in the spring; it is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with the male and female catkins on separate trees.
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{{Inc|
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'''''[[Salix]] babylonica'''.'' (syn. S. pendula). Napoleon's Willow. A tree of weeping habit, 30-40 ft. high, with long slender olive-green or purplish branches: buds small, acute: lvs. 2-6 in. long, attenuate at base and apex: aments appearing with the lvs., slender, the pistillate green, 1 in. long, caps. small. China.—Long known in cult. and often grown in cemeteries. Tender N. Var. annularis, Forbes, lvs. twisted back so as to form a sort of ring.
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}}
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==Cultivation==
  
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Many botanists treat the [[Chinese Willow]] ''Salix matsudana'' as a [[Synonymy|synonym]] of ''Salix babylonica''; it is also native to northern China. The only reported difference between the two is that ''S. matsudana'' has two [[nectar]]ies in each female flower, whereas ''S. babylonica'' has only one; however this character is not reliable in many willows (e.g. [[Crack Willow]] can have either one or two), so even this difference may mean nothing.
 
  
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===Cultivation and uses===
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===Propagation===
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Peking Willow is a popular [[ornamental plant|ornamental tree]] in northern China, and is also grown for [[wood]] production and shelterbelts there, being particularly important around the [[oasis|oases]] of the [[Gobi Desert]] to protect agricultural land from desert winds.
 
  
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It has also been introduced into many other areas, but has not generally been successful in cultivation outside of China{{Fact|date=April 2007}}, being very short-lived and unsightly due to [[canker]] diseases in the more humid [[climate]]s in much of [[Europe]] and [[North America]]It is particularly susceptible to Willow Anthracnose ''Marssonina salicicola''.
 
  
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Early Chinese [[cultivar]] selections include the original '''Weeping Willow''' ''Salix babylonica'' 'Pendula', in which the branches and twigs are strongly pendulous. However, most Weeping Willows outside of China are a [[hybrid]] between this cultivar and the [[White Willow]], which is better adapted to humid leaves.
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===Pests and diseases===
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It has also been introduced into many other areas, but has not generally been successfully cultivated outside China, being very short-lived and unsightly due to [[canker]] diseases in the more humid [[climate]]s in much of [[Europe]] and [[North America]]. It is particularly susceptible to [[canker]] disease, Willow Anthracnose (''Marssonina salicicola'') and sensitive to late-spring frosts.<ref name=bean4/><ref name=rdm>Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.</ref>
  
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===Leaves===
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==Varieties==
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Peking Willow [[leaf|leaves]] are long and pointed. They have slight notches in the sides. The leaves turn a gold-yellow in  [[autumn]] and are alternate on the branches.
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{{Redirect|Weeping willow||Weeping Willow (disambiguation)}}
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of var. ''babylonica'' (Babylon Willow).
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* 'Babylon' (synonym: 'Napoleon') The most widely grown cultivar with its typical weeping branches<ref>Santamour, F.S. & McArdle, A.J. (1988). Cultivars of Salix babylonica and other Weeping
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Willows. Journal of Arboriculture 14: 180-184</ref>
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* 'Crispa' (synonym: 'Annularis') A mutant of 'Babylon' with spirally curled leaves
  
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===Reproductive Cycle===
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of var. ''matsudana'' (Pekin Willow).
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The Peking or Weeping Willow, unlike other species of willow has an odd reproductive cycle. Though the willow's reproductive cycle will continue as long as the tree lives, any seeds produced after the tree reaches a certain age (usually between 38-47 years old) are infertile and cannot produce [[seedlings]].
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* 'Pendula' One of the best weeping trees, with a silvery shine, hardier and more disease resistant.
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* 'Tortuosa' Upright tree with twisted and contorted branches.
  
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This has caused many [[environmentalist]] to closely watch the weeping willow. Because even though they flourish in many areas, if new willows are not grown on a regular basis this amazing tree has a very real possibility of going [[extinct]].
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Early Chinese [[cultivar]] selections include the original Weeping Willow ''Salix babylonica'' 'Pendula', in which the branches and twigs are strongly pendulous. However, most Weeping Willows outside China are [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] between this cultivar, and either White Willow ''[[Salix alba]]'' ([[Salix Sepulcralis Group]]) or Crack Willow ''[[Salix fragilis]]'' (''Salix × pendulina'' Wenderoth), which are better adapted to the more humid climates of most heavily populated regions of Europe and North America. The most widely grown Weeping Willow cultivar is [[Salix Sepulcralis Group 'Chrysocoma']], with bright yellowish shoots.<ref name=bean4/><ref name=rdm/>
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==Gallery==
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<gallery perrow=5>
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File:Saule pleureur chaton.jpg|Flower
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Image:Willow Salix babylonica.jpg|Leaves
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File:Salix babylonica2.jpg|Bark
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File:SalixBabylonicaLeaf.jpg|Leaf
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</gallery>
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==References==
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<references/>
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/saba2.htm ''Salix babylonica'' (weeping willow) images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
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*{{wplink}}
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[[Category:Salicaceae|Willow, Peking]]
 
  
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The Salix babylonica derives its name from Psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon"), which laments the exile of the Israelites from their land, Israel, into a strange and unfriendly Babylonia.  According to the Psalm, they weep beneath the willow trees on the riverbanks of Babylonia, and thus, the weeping willow is named for one of the more famous places where people lamented beside it.
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{{stub}}
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__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 17:06, 18 August 2010


Peking Willows


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: ⇕ 40 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 40.
Width: ⇔ 35 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 35.
Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Origin: ✈ China
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ sun
Water: ◍ wet, moist
Features: ✓ deciduous
USDA Zones: 5 to 10
Sunset Zones: 3-24, 26n, 28, 30-34, 39
Scientific Names

Salicaceae >

Salix >

babylonica >

L. >


Salix babylonica (Babylon Willow (var. babylonica) or Peking Willow (var. matsudana); is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the silk road to southwest Asia and Europe.[1][2]

It is a large-sized to medium deciduous tree, growing up to 20-25 m tall. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan. The shoots are yellowish-brown, with small buds. The leaves are spirally arranged, narrow, light green, 4-16 cm long and 0.5-2 cm broad, with finely serrate margins and long acuminate tips ; they turn a gold-yellow in autumn. The flowers are arranged in catkins produced early in the spring; it is dioecious, with the male and female catkins on separate trees.[1][3]


Read about Peking Willow in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Salix babylonica. (syn. S. pendula). Napoleon's Willow. A tree of weeping habit, 30-40 ft. high, with long slender olive-green or purplish branches: buds small, acute: lvs. 2-6 in. long, attenuate at base and apex: aments appearing with the lvs., slender, the pistillate green, 1 in. long, caps. small. China.—Long known in cult. and often grown in cemeteries. Tender N. Var. annularis, Forbes, lvs. twisted back so as to form a sort of ring.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

It has also been introduced into many other areas, but has not generally been successfully cultivated outside China, being very short-lived and unsightly due to canker diseases in the more humid climates in much of Europe and North America. It is particularly susceptible to canker disease, Willow Anthracnose (Marssonina salicicola) and sensitive to late-spring frosts.[4][5]

Varieties

"Weeping willow" redirects here. For other uses, see Weeping Willow (disambiguation).

of var. babylonica (Babylon Willow).

  • 'Babylon' (synonym: 'Napoleon') The most widely grown cultivar with its typical weeping branches[6]
  • 'Crispa' (synonym: 'Annularis') A mutant of 'Babylon' with spirally curled leaves

of var. matsudana (Pekin Willow).

  • 'Pendula' One of the best weeping trees, with a silvery shine, hardier and more disease resistant.
  • 'Tortuosa' Upright tree with twisted and contorted branches.

Early Chinese cultivar selections include the original Weeping Willow Salix babylonica 'Pendula', in which the branches and twigs are strongly pendulous. However, most Weeping Willows outside China are hybrids between this cultivar, and either White Willow Salix alba (Salix Sepulcralis Group) or Crack Willow Salix fragilis (Salix × pendulina Wenderoth), which are better adapted to the more humid climates of most heavily populated regions of Europe and North America. The most widely grown Weeping Willow cultivar is Salix Sepulcralis Group 'Chrysocoma', with bright yellowish shoots.[4][5]

Gallery

  • Flower

  • Leaves

  • Bark

  • Leaf

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Flora of China: Salix babylonica
  2. ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Salix babylonica
  3. ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bean4
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Meikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.
  6. ↑ Santamour, F.S. & McArdle, A.J. (1988). Cultivars of Salix babylonica and other Weeping Willows. Journal of Arboriculture 14: 180-184

External links


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