AuthorMeikle, R.D.
Year1984
TitleWillows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland
ISBN0 901158 07 0
SeriesBSBI Handbooks
TypeBook/Report
How CompleteAll the British species and all but the rarest hybrids known at the time, with the more frequent introduced species.
SourceBSBI Handbooks, No 4, 198pp, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)
IllustrationsLine drawings facing the species descriptions, plus a few more interspersed in text and keys.
Review (by Malcolm Storey)

Introductory chapters cover classification, terminology and collection. The latter is important as the precise identification requires two visits to the same tree: in the spring for catkins and again in the summer (July to late September) for mature leaves.

The identification section starts with indented keys to Salix and Populus using mainly leaf characters.

The major portion of the book consists of detailed species accounts facing line-drawings of a leaf spray, leaf base, stipules, male and female flowers, catkins etc.

Examine with x8 or x10 hand lens
Specimen PreparationPrecise identification requires two visits to the same tree: in the spring for catkins and again in the summer (July to late September) for mature leaves.
Identification difficultyGiven both catkins and leaves, identification is usually fairly straightforward, although hybrids are not rare and often challenging. Don’t expect to be able to name every willow you find!

Notes & PurposeStatusTaxonEnglishClassification
For identificationCurrentSALICACEAEpoplars and willowsPlantae: Malpighiales
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