| Crack Willow
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 Crack Willow | ||||||||||||||
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| Salix fragilis L. | ||||||||||||||
The Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) is a willow native to Europe and Asia, and is reportedly invasive in North America. It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree, which grows rapidly and can be up to 27 m tall. Its preferred habitat is beside rivers. The leaves are bright green, 9-15 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, with a finely serrated margin. The dioecious flowers are catkins, produced in early spring, and pollinated by bees.
The name derives from the twigs which break off very easily and cleanly at the base with an audible crack. The broken twigs and branches take root readily, enabling the species to colonise new areas, particularly where the broken twigs fall into rivers and can be carried some distance downstream. It is particularly adept at colonising new riverside sandbanks formed after floods.
Its female flowers can have either one or two nectaries.