Salix bebbiana
Salix amygdaloides
beak willow, Bebb willow, Bebb's willow, gray or Bebb's or long-beak willow, gray willow, grey willow, long-beak willow
peach-leaf willow
branches divaricate, sometimes ± brittle at base, yellow-brown to dark red-brown, not or weakly glaucous, pilose to glabrescent, peeled wood often with very dense striae, to 25 mm;
branchlets yellow-green or red-brown, moderately to very densely villous to glabrescent.
stipules rudimentary or absent on early ones, apex acute, acuminate, or convex;
petiole convex to flat adaxially, 2–5.5–13 mm, pubescent adaxially;
largest medial blade narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 20–44–87 × 10–16–45 mm, base cuneate, convex, or rounded, margins flat, entire, crenate, or irregularly serrate, glands submarginal, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, moderately densely pubescent or long-silky to glabrescent, hairs white or gray, wavy, adaxial finely impressed-reticulate, dull or slightly glossy, moderately densely pubescent, sparsely short-silky, or glabrescent, hairs white or gray;
proximal blade margins entire, gland-dotted;
juvenile blade yellowish green or reddish, pilose or sparsely to moderately densely tomentose or long-silky abaxially, hairs white.
stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, foliaceous or rudimentary on late ones, apex rounded;
petiole (margins covering groove, not glandular or with spherical glands distally), 7–21 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially;
largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), very narrowly elliptic, elliptic, lanceolate, or lorate, 55–130 × 24–37 mm, 2.8–6 times as long as wide, base convex, cuneate, or cordate, margins serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial dull, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along midrib;
proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;
juvenile blade glabrous or pubescent abaxially, hairs white and/or ferruginous.
adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.3–0.8 mm;
filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths, glabrous or hairy on proximal 1/2;
anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.5–0.8 mm.
abaxial nectary 0.2–0.7 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong to square, 0.3–0.8 mm, nectaries distinct;
stamens 3–7;
filaments hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;
anthers 0.5–0.6 mm.
adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.3–0.8 mm;
ovary obclavate, beak slightly bulged below styles (long-beaked);
ovules 6–16 per ovary;
styles 0.1–0.4 mm;
stigmas slenderly to broadly cylindrical.
adaxial nectary square, 0.1–0.6 mm;
stipe 1.4–3.2 mm;
ovary pyriform, beak slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 16–18 per ovary;
styles 0.2–0.4 mm;
stigmas 0.24–0.31–0.4 mm.
5–9 mm.
3–7 mm.
staminate flowering just before leaves emerge, pistillate flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout to globose, 10–42 × 7–16 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–11 mm; pistillate loosely flowered, stout, slender, or subglobose, 16.5–85 × 9–32 mm, flowering branchlet 1–26 mm;
floral bract tawny, 1.2–3.2 mm, apex rounded, abaxially hairy to glabrescent, hairs straight or wavy.
staminate 23–80 × 5–12 mm, flowering branchlet 3–28 mm; pistillate 41–110(–127 in fruit) × 8–16 mm, flowering branchlet 17–35 mm;
floral bract 1.5–2.8 mm, apex acute to rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy proximally, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.
= 38.
= 38.
Salix bebbiana
Salix amygdaloides
Salix bebbiana occurs in Nunavut on Akimiski Island in James Bay.
Hybrids:
Salix bebbiana forms natural hybrids with S. candida, S. geyeriana, S. humilis, and S. petiolaris. Reports of hybrids with S. discolor (C. K. Schneider 1921; M. L. Fernald 1950) are not based on convincing specimens, and synthetic hybrids could not be made (G. W. Argus 1974). Reports of hybrids with S. eriocephala and S. myricoides (Fernald) are unverified. Controlled pollinations with S. eriocephala and S. interior had low seed viability (A. Mosseler 1990).
Salix bebbiana × S. candida (S. ×cryptodonta Fernald, as species) is intermediate between parental species. It resembles S. candida in having juvenile leaves densely woolly, mature leaves sparsely to moderately woolly abaxially, margins strongly revolute to crenulate, and ovaries woolly; and S. bebbiana in having stipes 2.8–3 mm and capsules long-beaked, 8–9 mm. The hybrid commonly occurs in Newfoundland.
Salix bebbiana × S. geyeriana: A plant with the pistillate catkins and flowers of S. bebbiana and the narrow, entire or slightly serrulate leaves with white and ferruginous hairs of S. geyeriana was collected by R. D. Dorn in a mixed population in Montana (Beaverhead County).
Salix bebbiana × S. humilis: Reported by C. K. Schneider (1921) and M. L. Fernald (1950) and successfully synthesized by G. W. Argus (1974, 1986).
Salix bebbiana × S. petiolaris is known from Ontario, based on an infertile pistillate specimen, and from Alberta and Saskatchewan, where it is relatively uncommon. It was successfully synthesized (G. W. Argus 1974, 1986) and controlled pollinations showed high seed viability (A. Mosseler 1990).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Presence of Salix amygdaloides in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont has not been verified; its occurrence in those New England states was reported by H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist (1991), and by M. L. Fernald (1950).
Hybrids:
Salix amygdaloides forms natural hybrids with S. gooddingii and S. nigra. Hybrids with S. caroliniana (N. M. Glatfelter 1898) and S. eriocephala (M. L. Fernald 1950) have been reported; no convincing specimens have been seen. Controlled pollination between S. amygdaloides and S. eriocephala, S. interior, and S. petiolaris set no seed; controlled pollination with S. lucida produced a few seeds; some seedlings suffered necrosis in the cotyledon stage (A. Mosseler 1990).
Salix amygdaloides × S. gooddingii (S. ×wrightii Andersson): This hybrid occurs throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and New Mexico (C. K. Schneider 1919; C. R. Ball 1961), and at Happy and Rio Frio, Texas, and Virgil Run, Arizona. The leaves are somewhat glaucous abaxially, as in S. amygdaloides, but they are linear to narrowly elliptic and branchlets are sparsely pubescent as in S. gooddingii.
Salix amygdaloides × S. nigra (S. ×glatfelteri C. K. Schneider) resembles S. amygdaloides in leaves somewhat glaucous abaxially, but usually linear or narrowly elliptic, as in S. nigra. The stipules are not as prominent as in S. nigra but are foliaceous on late leaves; it should be expected wherever the ranges of the two species overlap. The hybrid is common in Missouri, where N. M. Glatfelter (1894) estimated that ca. 40% of the populations were hybrids, and in Illinois (R. H. Mohlenbrock 1980; G. Wilhelm, pers. comm.). Putative hybrids occur also in Ontario. Narrow leaves are typical of juvenile plants of S. amygdaloides but even at that stage they tend to be broadest at the midpoint or toward the base rather than in a midzone as in S. nigra.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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