Is willow a producer consumer or decomposer?

Is willow a producer consumer or decomposer?

They are the final consumers in an ecosystem, and they return material that was once living back to the environment. They do this by releasing enzymes that break down dead plants and animals , into nutrient forms that can be absorbed by producers.

Are willow trees producers?

Willow trees are flower producers, called angiosperms. Their flowers lack petals. They are simple, small and growing in narrow clusters called catkins. Willows are frequently pioneer species, meaning that they are the first to inhabit a new area, or to repopulate an area after a scourging event such as fire.

Is a GREY Willow invasive?

cinerea readily invades riparian habits, brackish wetlands on coastland, wet forests, alpine bogs, as well as disturbed and undisturbed land on national park land and elsewhere. S. cinerea can grow on a wide range of soils. It can tolerate permanent water logging and a pH down to 3.5.

How do I identify a GREY Willow?

The Grey willow is a small, scrub-forming tree. It has blunt-ended, oval leaves, twice as long as they are broad. Its male catkins are silver-grey, roundish and turn yellow when ripe; its female catkins are green.

What eats the diamond leaf willow?

The diamond leaf willow provides much needed food for grazing animal of the tundra, like musk oxen, and caribou or reindeer. These plants are found in most parts of the world, usually in the northern hemisphere.

What animals eat GREY Willow?

Animal Uses

• Landscape UsesMany Mammals and birds eat the catkins and young leaves in early summer.
• Moose, elk and deer all eat the twigs and young branches.
• The twigs are eaten by hares and lemmings.
• Winter buds are one of the principle winter foods of ptarmigan and grouse.

How quickly does GREY willow grow?

Growing. Provided they receive enough moisture and are fed regularly (you can use a liquid or granular feed every 4-6 weeks until the middle of July), grey willow will grow quite fast. You might manage to produce a 50cm tall plant in one season.

What is GREY Willow used for?

Uses of grey willow Traditionally, willows were used to relieve pain associated with a headache and toothache. The painkiller Aspirin is derived from salicin, a compound found in the bark of all Salix species. In medieval times, in many parts of Europe, the bark was chewed to release the salicin for pain relief.

What eats a gray willow tree?

The foliage of the grey willow is eaten by numerous caterpillars from species of moth including the dusky clearwing, sallow kitten and the lunar hornet clearwing. The flowers are a good source of nectar and pollen for insects such as bees and birds will eat the caterpillars and other small insects from the leaves.

What kind of bark does a gray willow have?

To tell gray willow from its relatives, it is helpful to peel the bark off a twig and note the fine, white, vertical ridges present beneath. It is native to Europe and western Asia. Many willows (Salix species) have bitter-tasting bark that contains derivatives of salicylic acid, the main compound in aspirin.

What is the scientific name for grey willow?

Common names: grey willow, pussy willow, common sallow Scientific name: Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia

How are grey willows able to propagate themselves?

Most willows can also propagate themselves by lowering their branches to the ground to develop roots. Several willow species native to the UK as many hybridise with one another, making them hard to identify. Grey willow often hybridises with the goat willow ( Salix caprea).

Why are the leaves on my grey willow dying?

Like other willows, grey willow is susceptible to watermark disease caused by the bacterium Brenneria salicis. Over time, this leads to affected branches dying back and red leaves developing in other parts of the crown. If left untreated, the tree can die.