Talk:Salix babylonica

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Are weeping willow trees dangerous around septic tanks and fill lines? Just planted one and the neighbour says we will have problems with the septic and fill lines now due to the tree having fast and long spreading roots.

A weeping willow was recently found to have a trunk circumference of 322 inches (817 cm). This tree is growing in Detroit, Michigan. ^[1] Musicwriter (talk) 03:40, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Michigan Big Tree Hunt

symbolism[edit]

Should mention that the weeping willow was a symbol of funeral mourning in past centuries... AnonMoos (talk) 12:41, 4 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Growing Conditions[edit]

This article says that S. babylonica grows in dry areas of northern China. They have naturalized and grow wild here in western West Virginia and are only found along streams, creeks, ponds, and the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:5B0:23FF:3CF0:0:0:0:34 (talk) 15:14, 31 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The naturalized trees are not likely to be the true species, which is not cold tolerant, but hybrids; see the thread below. Peter coxhead (talk) 08:07, 24 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Image[edit]

It's not clear to me whether any of the images in Commons are actually of the true species, rather than of one of its hybrids. Peter coxhead (talk) 22:10, 23 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The first image was very nice and well colored, and looked to be what I've thought are Weeping Willows. There are 110 images on Commons, none of them are Weeping Willows? Which one comes closest? Thanks. Randy Kryn (talk) 00:48, 24 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The problem is that the English name "weeping willow" is based on the growth habit of the plant, and there are quite a few species, hybrids and cultivars of willows that have this habit, and have traditionally been called "Salix babylonica", whether they were the true species or not. The Flora of North America entry for the species says "Salix babylonica is not cold tolerant and is not commonly grown in Europe or in northern North America." Weeping willows in cultivation include cultivars of Salix alba and of the hybrid S. alba × S. babylonica, which has been called S. × sepulcralis (although Plants of the World Online says it should be called S. × pendulina, and it seems best treated as a cultivar group as at Salix Sepulcralis Group). It's simply impossible to tell from the images in commons:Category:Salix babylonica whether any of them are the true species, and where the locations are given, it's clear that most probably aren't, and should at best be in commons:Category:Salix × sepulcralis. Probably images in either category can't be identified with any certainty.

Plantsurfer is often quite well informed about horticultural matters, and might possibly be able to help. Peter coxhead (talk) 08:05, 24 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the well written and interesting explanation. Randy Kryn (talk) 04:21, 25 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Michigan Big Tree Hunt

[1]