Salix bhutanensis

Salix bhutanensis is a shrub or tree up to 3 meters high with spread branches. Young twigs are densely hairy, brownish-green, tomentose, biennial twigs are about 4 millimeters thick. The leaves have an approximately 3 millimeter long, densely hairy stalk. The stipules are ovate to lanceolate, finely hairy and have a serrated leaf margin. The leaf blade is 3 to 5.5 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide, elliptical, pointed, entire, with a blunt or rounded base. Eight to 11 pairs of nerves are formed. The upper side of the leaf is yellowish green, the underside gray-green.[2]

Male inflorescences are unknown. The female inflorescences are cylindrical, 5 centimeters long and 1.3 centimeters in diameter, dense-flowered catkins on a 1 centimeter long stalk with one to three leaves. The bracts are brown, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, about 1.8 millimeters long, dull brown on top and long hairy on the underside. The female flowers have an adaxial nectar gland . The ovary is stalked 0.3 to 1 millimeter long, narrow ovate-conical, 4 to 5 millimeters long, bare and upper side reddish. The stylus is 1 to 1.5 millimeters long or longer, the scaris more or less erect and two columns. The fruits are 6 to 7 millimeter long capsules. Salix bhutanensis flowers before or with the leaf shoots from May to June.[2]

The natural distribution area is on mountain slopes, in valleys, thickets and open forests in Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet at altitudes of 2800 to 3500 meters.[2]

Salix bhutanensis is a species from the willow genus (Salix), in the family of Salicaceae. There it is assigned to the Lanatae section.[3] It was described for the first time scientifically in 1940 by Björn Gustaf Oscar Floderus.[2] The genus name Salix is Latin and has been from the Romans used for various willow species.[4]

Synonyms of the species are Salix filistyla C. Wang & PY Fu and Salix himalayensis (Andersson) Floderus var. Filistyla (C. Wang & PY Fu) CF Fang.[2]

• Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . Volume 4: Cycadaceae through Fagaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 1999, ISBN 0-915279-70-3 , pp. 250, 251 (English).
• Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 (reprint from 1996).