Species Study - Salix Exigua

HorseloverFat

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These Specific Species Study Threads will serve for the documentation and discussion of growing young plants, upwards, together, towards a common “TinyTree” presentation goal
This “round” we are focusing on Salix Exigua.. or Sandbar Willow. I sell a handful of these every year for landscape reasons... and due to the ferocious nature of Salix in general, have a bunch to “play around with”... basically seeing how “ideal” of situations we can produce with this willow.

So the specimens for this thread started as 8” long whip cuttings... looking like these... except a bit shorter.9507DF40-D04D-4C54-B7B2-F4966E546726.jpeg
...One got wire ON it, and thrown @liquid_back_draft ’s way.. and the other I stuck in a larger pot and let run.388886E1-ED22-4E8B-B961-6CA7D7A06BB3.jpeg517612ED-1FC2-4B0E-9AFC-C4E47EAB2195.jpeg

This is what I was able to accomplish, foliage-wise with just half a season of “trying”... so we’ll see where this takes us.FF95AD1A-A4EF-4AA9-9596-A04DF4023FEF.jpeg

Any one that wants to come and pick up a Salix Alba cutting (To participate ((or HAS one, already, and lives in a similar climate))) is MORE than welcome to.

🤓
 
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Lutonian

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These are a common tree in my town found growing at the side of the local river (river Lea) the ones growing wild near me have a much whiter underside of the leaf that the one you have (hence the Alba bit, yours may be a different species of willow as it is easy to make mistakes as there are loads of types of willows all looking similar).

Salix Alba are large trees that grow fast if you are going to train this as bonsai go big, you can get logs the size of my waist to root easily.
 

HorseloverFat

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Thank you! I went back and did more thorough investigation. Using specifically underside (thank you, again), and ALSO habitat.. it appears, now... to be Salix Exigua (Sandbar willow)

Thank you!

I shall change it! MODS!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

🤓
 

HorseloverFat

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go big, you can get logs the size of my waist to root easily.
Oh yes, as is customary of willow.

This is mostly to discuss the habits of certain species, from their “infancy”, if you will. To find out HOW they would react to seasons of training.. BEFORE we get too attached to a large, beautiful trunk. 🤣🤣
 

Lutonian

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Oh yes, as is customary of willow.

This is mostly to discuss the habits of certain species, from their “infancy”, if you will. To find out HOW they would react to seasons of training.. BEFORE we get too attached to a large, beautiful trunk. 🤣🤣
Not all willow are equal goat/pussy willow is much harder to root than others
 

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Not all willow are equal goat/pussy willow is much harder to root than others
Cool! I’ve never tried those.

Is there less Acid in the tissues of Goat/pussy willow...or is it a characteristic of the vascular system.
 

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If you want to try salix alba they are the largest willow tree there is, remind me in late spring and I will collect seeds and post them to you if you like. (the tree drops seed mid summer)
Absolutely! Thanks!!!
 

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Cool! I’ve never tried those.

Is there less Acid in the tissues of Goat/pussy willow...or is it a characteristic of the vascular system.
I think there is less salicylic acid in the tissue of this plant, plus this species can grow up mountains and away from water courses so the twigs are less likely to be carried by water to a new location to root so that may have something to do with it.
 

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I think there is less salicylic acid in the tissue of this plant, plus this species can grow up mountains and away from water courses so the twigs are less likely to be carried by water to a new location to root so that may have something to do with it.
Yes!! That’s interesting!

These ones, the Sandbar Willows, CONSUME beaches here... but ALSO grow(quite aggressively) in the Marshlands. So these are one of the Salix that likes to be RIGHT ON TOP OF “basins”

We also have a lot of Sage-leafed willow.. and Prairie (humilis) and Heart-leafed (cordata?)...Amongst many others... some I’d like to experiment with...there ARE pussy-willow... I just see them less frequently than the others.
 

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With over 300 species your spoiled for choice with willows half the species you mentioned I have never heard of before. Is the sandbar willow salt resistant?
Hmmmm!!! I do not know!!! That is a DAMN fine question.

Thanks! It seems like every time we go on a hike in a new area, we see a “new” Salix... I’m going to start delving further.. find some “specie gems”
 

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This one is proving to be Quite interesting.. I still cannot lock down"across the board" ID.... So I believe this to be a hybrid .. probably between SandBAR.. and SandDUNE.. but there are some Alba and Nigra characteristics, possibly.

Here's the main plant. (Better reduction noted further up on that "new leader" whip.
9002BFDF-0B5F-45E2-9F31-B9D6DA81543B.jpegC9CBB2D7-5DC2-45B3-99BC-4C14CE3F34EF.jpeg

I have a BUNCH of "nicer" cuttings done up like this.. that I will be distributing VERY cheaply. (If interested... sooner they go.. the cheaper they'd be.)CB76CDF0-0153-4EA4-8A45-21132DC46A5D.jpeg
 

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Right:Average leaf from "1st trunk growth"

Left: Average Leaf from growth off "First Branch-turned-leader"C07DD6DA-660E-4B8E-AAF1-7B4C85A93244.jpeg
 

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I like this Willow Species a a lot.. and am only able to get reduction from the ridiculous original up to 5" long leaves down to a bit under/right around 2" at the "tester, ramifying points" (THEN they simply get "thinner").

So aim, for THIS specimen, will be a larger, less formal, broom-feelin' oddball.
On the other specimens I am training for "pre-bonsai", I am noticing ramification/reduction points staying CEMENT... which is neat, but means that, with THIS species, building it like, 'a line" and worrying about branches when you have your Base entirely figured out... This one behaves a bit differently than most willows.

I sold some nursery 10-gals about 4' high to local folks for landscaping purposes, in Springtime. I recently "visited"these trees... And they have seemingly tripled in size In every direction!
IMG_20221109_160920.jpg
Eeew... Bad angle and backdrop...
 
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