Salix babylonica "tortuosa"

Nature Talk
1

I saw an earlier post suggesting that Salix babylonica “tortuosa” might not be a valid name, and should not be used, yet it is included in iNaturalist
(I can’t find it mentioned anywhere in https://powo.science.kew.org/ )

I’m puzzled. I’m not sure how to deal with these.

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Should probably flag it for discussion on the species page for that taxon (under Curation tab).

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Kew lists it as Salix babylonica f. tortuosa Y. L. Chou

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Strange that it doesn’t show up when I try searching for it at Kew

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I see quite a few observations for it in Canada, but I’m told the Canadian climate is too cold for Salix babylonica. Is this a contradiction? Does it have a look-alike that Canadian observations of Salix babylonica f. tortuosa should be assigned to?

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I went to the Salix babylonica page in Plants of the World Online and then clicked the “accepted infraspecifics” tab.

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There are a few other weeping twisted willows like Salix × sepulcralis ‘Erythroflexuosa’ - maybe they’ve been confused with it? I know S. babylonica used to be overrecorded for the hybrid weeping willows (with S. alba and S. x fragilis) here in the UK.

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Of the 14 Canadian records I found, all were from right along the border with the US, and either on the West Coast, that I think has a mild climate, or around the Toronto area which is as far south in Canada as you can get, and may also get some urban heat island effect.

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In POWO as Salix × pendulina nothof. erythroflexuosa
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77187815-1

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