Salix mucronata Thunb.

Salicaceae, C. M. Wilmot-Dear. Flora Zambesiaca 9:6. 1991

Morphology General Habit

Deciduous shrub or small tree 2–10 m. high, much-branched; branches spreading and pendulous, rather brittle.

Morphology Stem

Woody stems dark red-brown or black, shallowly longitudinally furrowed, glabrous or more rarely with short fine light brown ± erect hairs and few inconspicuous small pale lenticels; young stems lighter, often densely short-hairy.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, 11–15 x 2–3.5 cm., narrowly- to linear-elliptic, on juvenile or late season non-flowering growth, and 2–8(12) x 0.5–1.5 cm., linear-obovate sometimes linear-elliptic on mature growth; apex acute sometimes acuminate, mucronate; base cuneate, margin subentire to crenate, serrate or biserrate; lamina chartaceous, markedly discolorous, midgreen above and pale usually glaucous beneath, glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy on midrib and sometimes both surfaces; primary veins often reddish, rather indistinct, 7–13 pairs arching and joining near the margin, often with intermediate shorter finer veins, reticulate venation prominulous above hardly visible beneath; petiole 3–15 mm. long often reddish, glabrous or sparsely to densely hairy as on stem.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules minute, suborbicular, 0.2–0.3 x 0.4 mm., irregularly 3-lobed, soon caducous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Catkins terminal on short axillary branches. Male inflorescence 3–9 cm. long, axis fairly stout with abundant long fine tangled hairs. Female inflorescence 1.5–8 cm. long.

sex Male

Male inflorescence 3–9 cm. long, axis fairly stout with abundant long fine tangled hairs. Male flowers (20) 40 or more, spirally arranged, sessile, each subtended by an ovate densely long-hairy greenish-yellow bract 1.5–2.5 mm. long with a rounded or 3-toothed apex; disk divided into 2 unequal, fleshy, ± ovoid, entire or irregularly-lobed glands, 0.7–1.1 mm. long; stamens (5)6–8, filaments 3–5.5 mm. long, hairy mainly in the lower half, anthers rather shortly oblong, 0.2–0.5 x 0.3–0.5 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers 15–30 (or more), each subtended by a persistent ovate or obovate acute bract 2–3.5 mm. long, pubescent as in male but more sparsely so on upper surface; disk a minute, usually 5-lobed, fleshy ± horseshoe-shaped, almost cup-like gland surrounding the stipe base; stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; ovary 2–2.5 mm. long, ovoid; style 0.5–1 mm. long; stigmas 0.3 mm. long, shortly bilobed, ± glabrous. Male flowers (20) 40 or more, spirally arranged, sessile, each subtended by an ovate densely long-hairy greenish-yellow bract 1.5–2.5 mm. long with a rounded or 3-toothed apex; disk divided into 2 unequal, fleshy, ± ovoid, entire or irregularly-lobed glands, 0.7–1.1 mm. long; stamens (5)6–8, filaments 3–5.5 mm. long, hairy mainly in the lower half, anthers rather shortly oblong, 0.2–0.5 x 0.3–0.5 mm.

sex Female

Female flowers 15–30 (or more), each subtended by a persistent ovate or obovate acute bract 2–3.5 mm. long, pubescent as in male but more sparsely so on upper surface; disk a minute, usually 5-lobed, fleshy ± horseshoe-shaped, almost cup-like gland surrounding the stipe base; stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; ovary 2–2.5 mm. long, ovoid; style 0.5–1 mm. long; stigmas 0.3 mm. long, shortly bilobed, ± glabrous. Female inflorescence 1.5–8 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Mature capsule ovoid (3)4.5–6 x 2–2.5(3) mm. with stipe 0.5–3.5 mm. long, glabrous; splitting into 2 valves along longitudinal furrows.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 0.6–1.4 mm. long, ovoid, with a large tuft of long fine white hairs ± twice the seed in length.

Salicaceae, C.M. Wilmot-Dear. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit

Deciduous shrub or small tree 2–10 m. high, much branched; branches spreading and pendulous, rather brittle.

Morphology Stem

Woody stems dark red-brown or black, shallowly longitudinally furrowed, glabrous or more rarely with short fine light brown ± erect hairs and few inconspicuous small pale lenticels; young stems lighter, often densely short-hairy.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades narrowly elliptical, on juvenile growth markedly larger, 11–15 cm. long, 2–3.5 cm. wide, on mature growth smaller, 2–8 cm. long, 0.5–1.5 cm. wide, apex acute sometimes acuminate, extreme tip mucronate, base cuneate, margin ± entire, crenate, serrate or biserrate, chartaceous, markedly discolorous, mid green above, pale usually glaucous beneath, glabrous or with sparse, rarely dense, hairs as stem on midrib and sometimes both surfaces; primary veins often reddish, 7–13 pairs, alternate or subopposite and often with intermediate shorter finer veins, arching and joining near margin, reticulate venation prominulous above, hardly visible beneath; petiole 3–15 mm. long, often reddish, glabrous or with sparse to dense hairs as stem.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules minute, suborbicular, 0.2–0.3 mm. long, 0.4 mm. wide, irregularly 3-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Catkins terminal on short axillary branches. Male inflorescence 3–9 cm. long; axis fairly stout with abundant long fine tangled hairs. Female inflorescence 1.5–8 cm. long.

sex Male

Male inflorescence 3–9 cm. long; axis fairly stout with abundant long fine tangled hairs. Flowers (20–)40 or more, spirally arranged, sessile, each subtended by an ovate densely long-hairy greenish-yellow bract 1.5–2.5 mm. long with acute, rounded or 3-toothed apex. Disc divided into 2 unequal fleshy ± oval entire or irregularly lobed glands 0.7–1.1 mm. long. Stamens (5–)6–8; filaments 3–5.5 mm. long, long-hairy mainly in lower half; anthers rather shortly oblong, 0.2–0.5 mm. long, 0.3–0.5 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers (20–)40 or more, spirally arranged, sessile, each subtended by an ovate densely long-hairy greenish-yellow bract 1.5–2.5 mm. long with acute, rounded or 3-toothed apex. Flowers 15 to over 30, each subtended by a persistent ovate or obovate acute bract 2–3.5 mm. long, pubescent as male bract, but more sparsely on upper surface.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc divided into 2 unequal fleshy ± oval entire or irregularly lobed glands 0.7–1.1 mm. long. Disc a minute usually 5-lobed fleshy ± horseshoe-shaped almost cup-like structure surrounding stipe-base; stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. long, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens (5–)6–8; filaments 3–5.5 mm. long, long-hairy mainly in lower half; anthers rather shortly oblong, 0.2–0.5 mm. long, 0.3–0.5 mm. wide.

sex Female

Female inflorescence 1.5–8 cm. long. Flowers 15 to over 30, each subtended by a persistent ovate or obovate acute bract 2–3.5 mm. long, pubescent as male bract, but more sparsely on upper surface. Disc a minute usually 5-lobed fleshy ± horseshoe-shaped almost cup-like structure surrounding stipe-base; stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. long, glabrous. Ovary 2–2.5 mm. long, ovoid, ± glabrous; style 0.5–1 mm. long; stigmas 0.3 mm. long, shortly 2-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 2–2.5 mm. long, ovoid, ± glabrous; style 0.5–1 mm. long; stigmas 0.3 mm. long, shortly 2-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Mature capsule ovoid, 4.5–6 mm. long, 2–2.5 mm. wide, with stipe up to 3.5 mm., glabrous and rather rough, splitting into 2 valves along 2 longitudinal furrows.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed ovoid, 0.6–1.4 mm. long, with large tuft of long fine white hairs ± twice seed-length.

Figures

Fig. 1.

Habitat

Along streams and rivers in forest, bushland or grassland; 900–2600 m.

Distribution

K3 K4 K6 T4 T6/T7 T7 U1 U3