Classic Monograph on Eurasian Willows

WILLOWS OF RUSSIA AND ADJACENT COUNTRIES
Taxonomical and Geographical Revision
A. K. Skvortsov
English Translation

Translation: Irina N. Kadis
Scientific Editor: George W. Argus
Editor: Alexei G. Zinovjev
Editorial Board: Jorma Tahvanainen, Heikki Roininen

Skvortsov, Alexei K.
Willows of Russia and Adjacent Countries. Taxonomical and Geographical Revision. - Joensuu: University of Joensuu, 1999. - 307 pp.

Originally published under the title: Willows of the USSR. A Taxonomic and Geographic Revision.
Proceedings of the Study of the Fauna and Flora of the USSR, Published by Moscow Society of Naturalists
New Series, Section of Botany, 15 (XXIII)
Chief Editor V. N. Tikhomirov
Nauka Publishers
Moscow 1968
Translated from Russian by Irina N. Kadis
The publication was supported by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, USA

Through this translation, English-speaking readers will gain access to an authoritative reference on willows by a distinguished Russian botanist whose treatment of the genus Salix has been the standard for decades. The monograph is dedicated to willows growing on the territory of the former Soviet Union and adjacent countries including all of Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, West and Northeast China, Mongolia, and North Korea. The author observed many species in their natural environment, cultivated some of them, and accomplished a vast study of domestic and foreign herbarium collections. The book offers a comprehensive general discussion on the morphology, variability, ability to produce hybrids, evolution, and ecology of the willows along with detailed treatments for about 135 species. Each individual species entry features a review of nomenclature and literature, a description of the species' habit and habitats, and, if needed, a brief discussion. The central piece of each species entry is an original map depicting its geographical distribution within the Old World. Each map is accompanied by a detailed verbal description of the species area boundaries. Species are grouped in 26 sections, each section featuring an identification key to its members. To help the reader gain a better understanding of willows, the general key to the sections is provided along with a brief characteristic of each section. Description of methods for observing, collecting, and studying willows makes the book valuable not only for experienced investigators but also beginners and amateurs. The book may be used as a reference as well as guide or manual for the study of one of the most difficult and confusing plant genera.


The book is out of print. An online version is now available.
It closely follows the original edition, except some minor differences in the layout.
The full text with illustrations is a 6 Mb pdf file [open in a new window]
Sample Pages (PDF)
Pages 1 to 4 [new window]
Foreword
page 11 (8 of Russ. ed.) — contains map of study area [new window]
Ecology and Morphology
pages 64-73 (60-68 of Russ. ed.) — Interspecific Hybridization [new window]
Evolution and Phylogeny
page 74 (69-70 of Russ. ed.) [new window]
Key to Sections
page 99 (92-93 of Russ. ed.) [new window]
Subgenus Salix
page 103 (97-98 of Russ. ed.) [new window]
Subgenus Chamaetia
page 123 (116 of Russ. ed.) [new window]
page 125 — with distribution maps for five species [new window]
Index to Geographical and Local Names
pages 279-305  [new window]
Contents (plain text file) [new window]

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