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Labrador willow

net-leaf willow, net-vein willow, netted willow

Habit Plants sometimes forming clones by layering. Plants 0.03–0.15 m, (dwarf, forming clones by layering).
Stems

branches red-brown or brownish, not or weakly glaucous, (highly glossy), pubescent to glabrescent;

branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, sparsely pubescent.

trailing;

branches and branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, glabrous.

Leaves

stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones;

petiole shallowly grooved adaxially, 3–8 mm, (sometimes glands present distally), pubescent adaxially;

largest medial blade narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblong, or oblanceolate 25–65 × 7–15 mm, base cuneate or convex, margins strongly revolute, entire or crenulate, (glands submarginal or epilaminal), apex acute, convex, or acuminate, abaxial surface glaucous (sometimes obscured by hairs), pilose or densely long-silky or villous, (midribs yellow, prominent, glabrous or pubescent), hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, especially midrib, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous);

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade yellowish green, sparsely to moderately densely long-silky abaxially, hairs white.

stipules absent or rudimentary;

petiole 3–46 mm, (sometimes glandular distally);

largest medial blade amphistomatous or hemiamphistomatous, (2 pairs of secondary veins arising at or close to base, arcing toward apex), oblong, broadly oblong, broadly elliptic, subcircular, or circular, (8–)12–66 × 8–50 mm, 1–1.5 times as long as wide, base convex, rounded, subcordate, or cordate, margins slightly revolute, entire or crenulate (glandular-dotted), apex rounded, convex, or retuse, abaxial surface sparsely long-silky to glabrescent, adaxial (venation deeply impressed), slightly or highly glossy, glabrous or pilose;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade glabrous.

Staminate flowers

(abaxial nectary 0–0.6 mm), adaxial nectary oblong, narrowly oblong, or square, 0.4–1 mm, (nectaries usually distinct, sometimes cupulate);

filaments distinct;

anthers purple turning yellow, 0.4–0.5 mm.

abaxial nectary 0.5–0.9 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.5–1 mm, nectaries connate and cup-shaped;

filaments distinct, hairy on proximal 1/2 or throughout;

anthers ellipsoid or globose, 0.3–0.4 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or square, 0.3–1.1 mm;

ovary pyriform, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 12–13 per ovary;

styles 0.4–0.9 mm.

abaxial nectary (0–)0.3–0.5 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, 0.5–1 mm, equal to or longer than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

stipe 0–0.8 mm;

ovary pyriform or ovoid, short-silky, hairs flattened, beak abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 8–18 per ovary;

styles connate to distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.2–0.3 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, broadly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.26–0.36 mm.

Capsules

2–4 mm.

4.5–5 mm.

Catkins

flowering as leaves emerge;

staminate stout or subglobose, 10–21.5 × 6–10 mm, flowering branchlet 1–8 mm;

pistillate densely to moderately densely flowered, stout to subglobose, 11–20.5(–25 in fruit) × 5.5–17 mm, flowering branchlet 1–13 mm;

floral bract tawny, brown, or bicolor, 0.7–1.2 mm, apex rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight.

staminate 11–54 × 4–9 mm, flowering branchlet 2–28 mm;

pistillate densely flowered (more than 6 flowers), slender or stout, 11–79 × 3–8 mm, flowering branchlet 2–37 mm;

floral bract tawny, 0.8–1.8 mm, apex rounded to retuse, entire, abaxially glabrous.

2n

= 76.

= 38.

Salix argyrocarpa

Salix reticulata

Phenology Flowering early Jun-early Aug. Flowering early Jun-mid Aug.
Habitat Floodplains, lake and stream margins, wet snow flush areas, snowbeds, sedge meadows, treed bogs, shrubby tundra, subarctic and subalpine conifer forests, granitic, sandstone, or limestone substrates Arctic-alpine, polygonal tundra, dry tussock tundra, partially stabilized sand dunes, sedge meadows, Dryas tundra on alpine cliffs and ledges, snowbeds, stabilized talus slopes, white spruce woods, treed bogs
Elevation 10-1800 m (0-5900 ft) 0-3500 m (0-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NH; NL; NU; QC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; AB; BC; MB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Europe; Asia (Chukotka, Russian Far East, arctic, e Siberia, Spitzbergen)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix argyrocarpa occurs in Nunavut on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay.

In the field, Salix argyrocarpa can be confused with S. glauca. They are not closely related but both have staminate flowers with both abaxial and adaxial nectaries, and tawny floral bracts. In subg. Vetrix, this characteristic occurs also in S. wolfii and sometimes in S. orestera, where it may be attributable to hybridization. See 54. S. wolfii for comment.

Vegetative specimens of Salix argyrocarpa and S. pellita are sometimes difficult to separate. There is no evidence that they hybridize.

Salix argyrocarpa is distinguished from S. pellita by having plants 0.2–1 m, stems delicate, largest medial blades 25–65 mm, 3.3–5.9 times as long as wide, branches highly glossy, not or weakly glaucous, flexible at base, and juvenile blades long-silky; S. pellita has plants 0.5–6 m, stems coarse, largest medial blades 40–123 mm, 4.2–11.3 times as long as wide, branches slightly glossy, often strongly glaucous, highly to ± brittle at base, and juvenile blades glabrous or pubescent, tomentose, or short-silky.

Hybrids:

Salix argyrocarpa forms natural hybrids with S. herbacea, S. pedicellaris, and S. planifolia.

Salix argyrocarpa × S. herbacea has leaf shape and margin dentition of S. herbacea but resembles S. argyrocarpa in having leaves glaucous abaxially, along with some white, silky hairs (especially on proximal leaves), juvenile leaves often revolute or infolded, and ovaries glabrous or with patches of hair, hairs appressed, short, straight or slightly curved, and flattened (having a saberlike appearance). These hybrids are sometimes misidentified as S. arctophila × S. herbacea, but ovary hair type and other characters suggest that S. argyrocarpa is the second parent. Occasional specimens with ferruginous hairs on the leaves suggest the influence of S. pellita or S. planifolia.

Salix argyrocarpa × S. pedicellaris (S. ×dutillyi Lepage) resembles S. pedicellaris in leaf shape and size and in having ovaries usually glabrous, although with patches or streaks of hair, and S. argyrocarpa in having leaves sparsely long-silky abaxially, in margins sparsely crenulate, and in proximal leaves with long-silky hairs abaxially. This hybrid is widespread in northern Quebec (G. W. Argus, unpubl.), where backcrosses seem to occur.

Salix argyrocarpa × S. planifolia (S. ×grayi C. K. Schneider): The collector, C. E. Faxon, noted that it could be distinguished at a distance from S. planifolia by its dull white color and upright branching, and from S. argyrocarpa by being taller. It resembles S. argyrocarpa in having juvenile leaves yellow-green, in catkins shorter and borne on longer flowering branchlets, and in stigmas purplish red. It resembles S. planifolia in having juvenile leaves with ferruginous hairs, and in the general appearance of the catkins (M. S. Bebb 1890).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The reported occurrence of Salix reticulata in Colorado (R. D. Dorn 1997) needs further study.

Salix reticulata occurs in Europe in northern Scotland, northern Scandinavia, the Alps and other European mountains, and arctic Eurasia. The species is circumpolar except for Greenland and Iceland.

A population of Salix reticulata on the Queen Charlotte Islands, with consistently glabrous ovaries, was named subsp. glabellicarpa. Some southeastern Alaska populations have plants with glabrous, partially hairy, and completely short-silky ovaries growing together. The possibility that subsp. glabellicarpa may be a hybrid or a simple mutation needs study.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 151. FNA vol. 7, p. 65.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Argyrocarpae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Chamaetia
Sibling taxa
S. alaxensis, S. alba, S. amygdaloides, S. arbusculoides, S. arctica, S. arctophila, S. arizonica, S. athabascensis, S. atrocinerea, S. aurita, S. babylonica, S. ballii, S. barclayi, S. barrattiana, S. bebbiana, S. bonplandiana, S. boothii, S. brachycarpa, S. breweri, S. calcicola, S. candida, S. caprea, S. caroliniana, S. cascadensis, S. chamissonis, S. chlorolepis, S. cinerea, S. columbiana, S. commutata, S. cordata, S. daphnoides, S. delnortensis, S. discolor, S. drummondiana, S. eastwoodiae, S. elaeagnos, S. eriocephala, S. euxina, S. exigua, S. famelica, S. farriae, S. floridana, S. fuscescens, S. geyeriana, S. glauca, S. gooddingii, S. hastata, S. herbacea, S. hookeriana, S. humboldtiana, S. humilis, S. interior, S. irrorata, S. jejuna, S. jepsonii, S. laevigata, S. lasiandra, S. lasiolepis, S. lemmonii, S. ligulifolia, S. lucida, S. lutea, S. maccalliana, S. melanopsis, S. monochroma, S. monticola, S. myricoides, S. myrsinifolia, S. myrtillifolia, S. nigra, S. niphoclada, S. nivalis, S. nummularia, S. orestera, S. ovalifolia, S. pedicellaris, S. pellita, S. pentandra, S. petiolaris, S. petrophila, S. phlebophylla, S. planifolia, S. polaris, S. prolixa, S. pseudomonticola, S. pseudomyrsinites, S. pulchra, S. purpurea, S. pyrifolia, S. raupii, S. reticulata, S. richardsonii, S. rotundifolia, S. scouleriana, S. sericea, S. serissima, S. sessilifolia, S. setchelliana, S. silicicola, S. sitchensis, S. sphenophylla, S. stolonifera, S. taxifolia, S. thurberi, S. tracyi, S. triandra, S. turnorii, S. tweedyi, S. tyrrellii, S. uva-ursi, S. vestita, S. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
S. alaxensis, S. alba, S. amygdaloides, S. arbusculoides, S. arctica, S. arctophila, S. argyrocarpa, S. arizonica, S. athabascensis, S. atrocinerea, S. aurita, S. babylonica, S. ballii, S. barclayi, S. barrattiana, S. bebbiana, S. bonplandiana, S. boothii, S. brachycarpa, S. breweri, S. calcicola, S. candida, S. caprea, S. caroliniana, S. cascadensis, S. chamissonis, S. chlorolepis, S. cinerea, S. columbiana, S. commutata, S. cordata, S. daphnoides, S. delnortensis, S. discolor, S. drummondiana, S. eastwoodiae, S. elaeagnos, S. eriocephala, S. euxina, S. exigua, S. famelica, S. farriae, S. floridana, S. fuscescens, S. geyeriana, S. glauca, S. gooddingii, S. hastata, S. herbacea, S. hookeriana, S. humboldtiana, S. humilis, S. interior, S. irrorata, S. jejuna, S. jepsonii, S. laevigata, S. lasiandra, S. lasiolepis, S. lemmonii, S. ligulifolia, S. lucida, S. lutea, S. maccalliana, S. melanopsis, S. monochroma, S. monticola, S. myricoides, S. myrsinifolia, S. myrtillifolia, S. nigra, S. niphoclada, S. nivalis, S. nummularia, S. orestera, S. ovalifolia, S. pedicellaris, S. pellita, S. pentandra, S. petiolaris, S. petrophila, S. phlebophylla, S. planifolia, S. polaris, S. prolixa, S. pseudomonticola, S. pseudomyrsinites, S. pulchra, S. purpurea, S. pyrifolia, S. raupii, S. richardsonii, S. rotundifolia, S. scouleriana, S. sericea, S. serissima, S. sessilifolia, S. setchelliana, S. silicicola, S. sitchensis, S. sphenophylla, S. stolonifera, S. taxifolia, S. thurberi, S. tracyi, S. triandra, S. turnorii, S. tweedyi, S. tyrrellii, S. uva-ursi, S. vestita, S. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. reticulata var. gigantifolia, S. reticulata subsp. glabellicarpa, S. reticulata var. semicalva
Name authority Andersson: Monogr. Salicum, 107, plate 6, fig. 60. (1867) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1018. (1753)
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