Salix sieboldiana var. sieboldiana ("Yamayanagi")

Japanese name: ヤマヤナギ （山柳）
Scientific name: Salix sieboldiana var. sieboldiana

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub or small tree 2–4 m tall, found in somewhat dry places such as ridges in hills and mountains.
The branches are tinged greenish brown and are at first densely covered with velvety cottony hairs, but later become hairless.
The leaves are simple and alternate, 5–15 cm long and 2.5–6 cm wide, varying widely from narrowly ovate to broadly elliptic, with a short pointed tip; the upper surface is hairless and slightly glossy, and the underside is tinged powdery white.
There are 6–10 pairs of lateral veins, and the fine veins are not conspicuous.
The leaf margin has blunt, wavy, inward-curved serrations.
Young leaves have silky cottony hairs on both sides.
The petiole is 1–2 cm long.
It is dioecious.
The flowers are densely arranged on cylindrical catkins that appear at the same time as the leaves unfold, and 2–5 small leaves are attached at the base of each catkin.
The male catkins are 2.5–5 cm long and 0.9–1.3 cm in diameter.
The female catkins are 3–5 cm long and 0.6–0.8 cm in diameter.
The flowers have no petals.
The fruit is a capsule, which splits open when ripe and releases seeds wrapped in cottony hairs called ryujo (willow down).

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