Salix Matsudana - Classification

Classification

The Flora of China recognizes three varieties within the species Salix matsudana:

• Salix matsudana var. anshanensis, endemic to Liaoning Province in northeastern China.
• S. matsudana var. matsudana, widespread in northeastern China.
• S. matsudana var. pseudomatsudana, found only in the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning.

Many botanists, notably the Russian willow expert Alexei Konstantinovich Skvortsov, treat Salix matsudana as a synonym of the Peking Willow Salix babylonica, which, despite its botanical name, is also native to northern China. The only reported difference between the two is that S. matsudana has two nectaries in each female flower, whereas S. babylonica has only one; however this character is variable in many willows (e.g. Crack Willow Salix fragilis can have either one or two), so even this difference may not be a meaningful species distinction.