Authors:
A name given to S. fruticulosa (q.v.) in 1916 in the belief that this name was invalid, having been already used for another species. During the last few decades there have been several introductions of willow material from Nepal (Beer 1971 and 1975; Schilling 1976) which has been distributed as S. hylematica or S. lindleyana (q.v.). Much of this is likely to be S. serpyllum, a species very similar to (or even synonymous with) S. fruticulosa. These three species are very similar in habit and foliage but can be readily distinguished by the size and position of their catkins: those of S. lindleyana being almost globular having few flowers (often less than five) while those of the other species are cylindrical with up to twenty flowers, the female catkin lengthening considerably on ripening. A willow received an Award of Merit as S. hylematica in 1982. This plant was probably S. serpyllum or S. fruticulosa.
