Salix babylonica a gold-yellow in autumn. The flowers are arranged in catkins produced early in the spring; it is dioecious, with the male and female catkins on separate trees. "Salix babylonica" was described and named scientifically by Carolus Linnaeus in 1736, who knew the species as the pendulous-branched ("weeping") variant then recently introduced into the Clifford garden in Hartekamp in The Netherlands. Early Chinese cultivar selections include the original weeping willow, "Salix babylonica" 'Pendula', in which the branches and twigs are strongly pendulous, which was presumably spread along ancient trade routes. These distinctive trees were subsequently introduced into England from Aleppo in
Salix acutifolia Salix acutifolia Salix acutifolia, also known as Siberian violet-willow, long-leaved violet willow or sharp-leaf willow, is a species of flowering plant in the Salicaceae family, native to Russia and eastern Asia. It is a spreading, deciduous shrub or tree, growing to tall by wide. The young shoots are deep purple with a white bloom. The leaves are narrow, up to long. The catkins are produced in early spring, before the leaves. Older bark has a fine, netted pattern. Like all willows this species is dioecious. Male catkins are and silvery, with gold anthers, while female catkins are green and long.