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beak willow, Bebb willow, Bebb's willow, gray or Bebb's or long-beak willow, gray willow, grey willow, long-beak willow

barren-ground willow, snow willow

Habit Plants 0.3–1.5(–3) m, not clonal.
Stems

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.

erect, decumbent, or trailing;

branches gray-brown, yellow-brown, or red-brown, pilose, villous, or long-silky to glabrescent;

branchlets violet, red-brown, or yellow-brown, pilose, densely villous, long-silky, or tomentose.

Leaves

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 (sometimes marcescent), foliaceous, (sometimes obscured by hairs);

petiole (shallowly grooved adaxially), 2–5.5 mm, (usually shorter than or barely exceeding subtended bud, villous adaxially);

largest medial blade hypostomatous or amphistomatous, narrowly oblong, narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, or obovate, 13–64 × 6–22 mm, 1.6–5.5 times as long as wide, base convex, margins slightly revolute, entire (obscured by hairs), apex acuminate or acute, abaxial surface densely villous or woolly to pilose, hairs straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, moderately densely to sparsely villous;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade abaxially densely long-silky.

Staminate flowers

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 0.5–1.2 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong to ovate or flask-shaped, 0.5–1.5 mm, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

filaments distinct, glabrous, or sparsely hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers ellipsoid or globose, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Pistillate flowers

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.

abaxial nectary rarely present, 0.7 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, ovoid, or flask-shaped, 0.5–2 mm, longer than stipe;

stipe 0–0.5 mm;

ovary pyriform, very densely villous or long-silky, beak slightly bulged below or abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 8–20 per ovary;

styles connate to almost distinct, 0.2–0.8 mm;

stigmas slenderly to broadly cylindrical, 0.2–0.36–0.6 mm.

Capsules

5–9 mm.

4–6 mm.

Catkins

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 12–42 × 4–14 mm, flowering branchlet 0–20 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender, stout, or subglobose, 16–69 × 4–13 mm, flowering branchlet 4–30 mm;

floral bract tawny, brown, or black, 1.2–3.2 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy, hairs wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix bebbiana

Salix niphoclada

Phenology Flowering early Apr-late Jun. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Riparian and upland conifer forests, wet lowland thickets, Picea mariana treed bogs, stream margins, lakeshores, prairie margins, dry south-facing slopes, cienegas, seeps, disturbed areas Wet to moderately well-drained calcareous, gravelly or sandy floodplains, terraces, eskers, drumlins, fine, silty loess deposits, dry to mesic stony alpine slopes and saline flats, limestone talus, sand blowouts, plains
Elevation 0-3300 m (0-10800 ft) 10-2300 m (0-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Russia)
Discussion

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.)

Salix niphoclada was treated as S. brachycarpa subsp. niphoclada (G. W. Argus 1965, 1973) because where the ranges of the two taxa overlap in northern British Columbia they appeared to intergrade. Species rank is used here, however, because there is no evidence to suggest that intergradation is common or extends beyond the small area of overlap.

Salix brachycarpa var. fullertonensis, which mainly occurs in southern Nunavut and the western side of Hudson Bay, is characterized by smaller leaves and catkins, broad, reddish floral bracts, and more sparsely hairy branchlets (G. W. Argus 1965). Its intergradation with S. niphoclada is so extensive that it is not recognized here as a separate taxon.

Hybrids:

Salix niphoclada forms natural hybrids with S. glauca var. acutifolia and S. setchelliana.

Salix niphoclada × S. setchelliana is a putative hybrid from Sheep Mountain, Kluane, Yukon, at 1180 m. It resembles S. niphoclada in leaf shape and indumentum, stigmas 0.6 mm, floral bracts oblong, 1.8 mm, and in the shape and length of pistillate catkins, but it has the glabrous, reddish ovaries of S. setchelliana. Both putative parents occur in the area.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 134. FNA vol. 7, p. 88.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Fulvae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Glaucae
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms S. rostrata, S. bebbiana var. capreifolia, S. bebbiana var. depilis, S. bebbiana var. luxurians, S. bebbiana var. perrostrata, S. bebbiana var. projecta, S. depressa subsp. rostrata S. brachycarpa subsp. fullertonensis, S. brachycarpa var. fullertonensis, S. brachycarpa var. mexiae, S. brachycarpa subsp. niphoclada, S. fullertonensis, S. glauca var. niphoclada, S. muriei, S. niphoclada var. fullertonensis, S. niphoclada var. mexiae, S. niphoclada var. muriei
Name authority Sargent: Gard. & Forest 8: 463. (1895) Rydberg: Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 272. (1899)
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