Salix babylonica Salix babylonica Salix babylonica (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe. "Salix babylonica" is a medium- to large-sized deciduous tree, growing up to tall. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan, between 40 and 75 years. The shoots are yellowish-brown, with small buds. The leaves are alternate and spirally arranged, narrow, light green, 4–16 cm long and 0.5–2 cm broad, with finely serrate margins and long acuminate tips; they turn
Salix matsudana Salix matsudana Salix matsudana, the Chinese willow, is a species of willow native to northeastern China. The species is named in honour of Sadahisa Matsuda, a Japanese botanist. Three varieties are recognized, "Salix matsudana" var. "anshanensis", "S. matsudana" var. "matsudana", and "S. matsudana" var. "pseudomatsudana". The species is widely cultivated in China, and a horticultural variant with twisted twigs and trunk, the corkscrew willow ("S. matsudana" var. "tortuosa"), is widely planted. "Salix matsudana" is a medium-sized to large, deciduous, upright, rapidly growing tree to 20–40 ft tall, but has a short lifespan. "Salix matsudana" is dioecious, with the male and