Salix; willow

Japanese: ヤナギ(柳) - ヤナギ（英語表記）Salix; willow

A general term for plants of the Salix genus of the Salicaceae family, but it is generally used to refer to one of these species, the weeping willow. Salix is a large genus with about 300 species distributed mainly in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, with some also found in South America. Most are deciduous tall trees with long, alternate leaves, but some species have opposite leaves (such as Salix nigricans) and alpine species such as Salix nigricans, which are small shrubs. About 40 species are known to grow naturally in Japan, including Pussy Willow, S. bakko , and S. chaenomeloides , which are commonly found on riverbanks and mountain forest edges, and S. sachalinensis and S. gilgiana , which are often found in slightly damp places. The so-called willows that are familiar as roadside trees and garden trees are weeping willows, said to be native to mainland China, but their natural habitat is unknown. They have been commonly cultivated in Japan since ancient times, and are widely cultivated around the world due to their graceful appearance, with branches that hang down close to the ground despite being 8 to 10 meters tall. Willow wicker baskets are made from the branches of S. koriyanagi , which is cultivated in rice paddies and other places.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ヤナギ科ヤナギ属 Salixの植物の総称であるが，一般にはそのうちの1種，シダレヤナギ (垂柳)をさしていう場合が多い。ヤナギ属は主として北半球の温帯に約 300種が分布する大きな属で，一部は南アメリカにも知られる。大部分が落葉高木で細長い葉を互生するが，なかには対生の種類 (イヌコリヤナギなど) やミネヤナギなどの高山性の種類で小低木のものも含まれる。日本には約 40種の自生が知られ，川原や山地の林縁などにネコヤナギ (猫柳)，バッコヤナギ S. bakko，アカメヤナギ S. chaenomeloidesなどが普通にみられ，またやや湿った場所にオノエヤナギ S. sachalinensis，カワヤナギ S. gilgianaなどが多い。街路樹や庭園樹としてなじみの深い，いわゆるヤナギはシダレヤナギで，中国大陸の原産ともいわれるが自生地は知られていない。日本では古くからごく普通に栽培され，8～10mもの高木ながら地面近くまで枝が垂れ下がる優美な樹姿をもつことから世界でも広く栽培されている。柳行李は水田などに栽培するコリヤナギ (行李柳)S. koriyanagiの枝でつくる。

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