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Scientific Name
Salix x rubens Schrank
Synonyms
Salix alba L. x Salix fragilisL.
Family
Salicaceae
Common Names
basket willow, gold-crack willow, hybrid crack willow, white crack willow, willow
Origin
A hybrid of white willow (Salix alba) and crack willow (Salix fragilis) that occurs naturally in Europe.
Naturalised Distribution
Widely naturalised in south-eastern Australia (i.e. in many parts of eastern and southern New South Wales, in the ACT, in Victoria and Tasmania, and in south-eastern South Australia).
Notes
Basket willow (Salix x rubens) is regarded as a serious environmental weed in New South Wales, and as an environmental weed in Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania. It is one of the willows (Salix spp.) that together as a group are regarded as a Weed of National Significance (WoNS).
Basket willow (Salix x rubens) is invasive along waterways, in wetlands, around dams and in riparian areas. It often grows in riverbeds with the base of the tree buried under river sediment and is one of the most widespread and abundant willows in Australia. Unlike many of the other willows, it regenerates prolifically from seed.