Mccalla'S Willow (Salix maccalliana)
Description
Salix maccalliana is a visually striking shrub; it has multiple upright stems in the range of 2-4 m (6.6-13.1 ft.) tall that have short, ascending branches and shiny, red twigs. The leaves are dark green and shiny, with finely serrated margins. The larger leaves are 4-8 cm (1.6-3.1 in.) long and 0.8-2.5 cm (0.3-1.0 in.) wide. The bark is brownish to gray brown, smooth or somewhat rough with age. The male catkins are 1.5-3 cm (0.6-1.2 in.) long and borne on flowering branchlets typically 0.3-1.3 cm (0.12-0.51 in.) long; the branchlets can reach 2.5 cm (0.98 in.) long in extreme circumstances. The female catkins are 2-6 cm (0.8-2.4 in.) long and borne on flowering branchlets 1-2.8 cm (0.4-1.1 in.) long. The mature capsules are densely hairy and 6-11 mm (0.24-0.43 in.) long. The willow closest in appearance to S. maccalliana is probably S. serissima (autumn willow), but the petioles of S. serissima are completely hairless, while those of S. maccalliana are sparsely hairy. The leaves of S. planifolia (planeleaf willow) are, like S. maccalliana, smooth and shiny, but they have entire margins, not serrate, and a glaucous (blue-gray) lower surface
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malpighiales
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Family: Salicaceae
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Genus: Salix
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