| Salix boothii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Salicaceae |
| Genus: | Salix |
| Species: | S. boothii |
| Binomial name | |
| Salix boothii Dorn |
|
Salix boothii is a species of willow known by the common name Booth's willow. It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta to California and New Mexico, where it grows in moist mountain habitat, such as riverbanks. It is a shrub which can reach six meters in height. It is larger and has more branches in well-drained soils, and takes a smaller, simpler form in saturated areas such as bogs.[1] The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with a pointed tip and smooth-edged or lightly serrated. They are up to 10 centimeters long when mature with a shiny top surface; new leaves are covered in shaggy white hairs. The inflorescences develop before the leaves grow, or simultaneously. Male catkins are up to about 4 centimeters long and female catkins are up to 7. Male flowers have two stamens each.
This willow forms dense colonial thickets and it can be used for erosion control in riparian habitats in its native range.[1] It reproduces sexually by seed and also vegetatively by sprouting from its stem base and root system, allowing it to produce colonies of clones.[1] It is also tolerant of wildfire, resprouting relatively easily after aboveground parts have been burned away.[1]