Salicaceae
(Willow Family)
Habit
- shrubs or trees
Leaves
-
alternate,
simple,
stipulate
Plants
-
dioecious
Inflorescence
- mostly
catkins
(racemose)
Flowers
- subtended by
bractlets
Sepals
- absent or forming a
disc
Petals
- absent
Stamens
- 2-many,
distinct or
filaments
connate
Ovary
-
superior, of 2-4
carpels with
parietal placentation;
styles
distinct
Fruit
-
capsule with many hairy seeds
Diversity
- 4 genera / 350 species
Distribution
- mostly north temperate; absent from Australia; most notable: Salix (willow); Populus (aspen, poplar and cottonwood)
Economics
- some cultivated ornamentals; wood soft and only used for matchsticks; small stems
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