Knowra Salix Salix Salix is a genus of deciduous trees and shrubs, commonly called willows. Its species often grow in moist habitats and have flexible branches and narrow leaves.
Salicaceae : Salicaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes willows, poplars, and cottonwoods. Willows belong to this family alongside their close relatives, the poplars.
Basket weaving : Basket weaving is the craft of interlacing flexible materials to make containers and other objects. Flexible willow shoots, called withies, are a traditional basket-making material.
Weeping willow : Weeping willow is the common name for several willows with long, drooping branches, especially Salix babylonica. Its sweeping crown is one of the genus's most recognizable forms.
Populus : Populus is a genus of deciduous trees that includes poplars, aspens, and cottonwoods. Poplars are willow relatives in Salicaceae, but belong to a separate genus.
Species complex : A species complex is a group of closely related organisms whose boundaries or relationships are difficult to distinguish. Hybridization and variation make several willow groups difficult to divide into clear species.
Catkin : A catkin is a slender, often pendulous cluster of small flowers, usually wind-pollinated. Willow flowers are borne in catkins, often appearing before the leaves.
Aspirin : Aspirin is a medication used to relieve pain and fever and reduce inflammation and blood clotting. The drug's history is linked to salicin, a compound found in willow bark.
White willow : White willow (Salix alba) is a large European and western Asian willow with pale-backed leaves. Its bark is a notable traditional source of salicin.
Mycorrhiza : A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant root. Willow roots associate with mycorrhizal fungi that can affect nutrient uptake and establishment.
Hybrid zone : A hybrid zone is a geographic area where populations of distinct taxa meet and produce hybrid offspring. Willow hybrid zones can reveal how gene flow shapes species boundaries.
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