Chinese Willow

Salix matsudana
Corkscrew variant of the Chinese willow (Salix matsudana cv. 'Tortuosa') planted in the Jardin botanique de Montréal in Canada
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Salicaceae
Genus:	Salix
Species:	S. matsudana
Binomial name
Salix matsudana Koidz.

Salix matsudana (Chinese willow) is a species of willow native to northeastern China. The species is named in honour of Sadahisa Matsuda, a Japanese botanist. Three varieties are recognized, Salix matsudana var. anshanensis, S. matsudana var. matsudana, and S. matsudana var. pseudomatsudana. The species is widely cultivated in China, and a horticultural variant with twisted twigs, the corkscrew willow, is widely planted.

Salix matsudana is a medium-sized to large, deciduous, upright, rapidly growing tree to 20–40 ft tall, but has a short lifespan. Salix matsudana is dioecious, with the male and female catkins on separate trees. The leaves are narrow, light green, around 4–10 cm long and 1–2 cm broad. The flowers are borne in catkins produced early in the spring

The Flora of China recognizes three varieties within the species Salix matsudana:

Many botanists, notably the Russian willow expert Alexei Konstantinovich Skvortsov, treat Salix matsudana as a synonym of the Peking willow Salix babylonica, which, despite its botanical name, is also native to northern China. The only reported difference between the two is that S. matsudana has two nectaries in each female flower, whereas S. babylonica has only one; however this character is variable in many willows (e.g. crack willow Salix fragilis can have either one or two), so even this difference may not be a meaningful species distinction.

Chinese willow has been introduced into many areas as an ornamental tree, including Australia, Europe and North America.

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Wikipedia