Salix bebbiana
Salix triandra
beak willow, Bebb willow, Bebb's willow, gray or Bebb's or long-beak willow, gray willow, grey willow, long-beak willow
almond leaf willow, almond 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.
branches glabrous or glabrescent;
branchlets yellow-brown, red-brown, or brownish, usually glabrous, rarely pilose.
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 rudimentary to foliaceous on early ones (absent on proximal ones);
petiole deeply grooved adaxially, margins covering groove, 4–26 mm, pubescent or puberulent to glabrescent adaxially;
largest medial blade oblong, narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or lanceolate to obovate, 53–114 × 14–35 mm, 2.7–6.3 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins flat or slightly revolute, crenate or serrulate, apex acuminate, acute, or ± caudate, abaxial surface glabrous or glabrescent, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, glabrous or glabrescent;
proximal blade margins crenate or crenulate;
juvenile blade reddish.
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 0.2–1.1 mm, adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.2–0.6 mm, distinct;
filaments distinct, hairy on proximal 1/2;
anthers ellipsoid.
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 obovate to square, 0.3–0.5 mm;
ovary pyriform, beak gradually tapering to or slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 30–36 per ovary;
styles distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.2–0.3 mm;
stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, 0.1–0.2 mm.
5–9 mm.
3–6 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 20–60 × 5.5–10 mm, flowering branchlet 3–17 mm; pistillate moderately to very densely flowered, slender to stout, 20–60 × 5–8 mm, flowering branchlet 5–31 mm;
floral bract 1–2.3 mm, apex rounded or acute, abaxially hairy (mainly proximally), hairs wavy.
= 38.
= 38 (44), 57, or 88.
Salix bebbiana
Salix triandra
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 triandra usually has been overlooked in North American floras. At one time, it was a very important basket willow and probably was introduced into North America for that purpose. Some authors treat the glaucous and nonglaucous forms as subspecies (F. Martini and P. Paiero 1988; K. H. Rechinger 1993); A. K. Skvortsov (1999) noted that, although the two have somewhat distinct ranges, both kinds occur throughout the species and sometimes can be found in the same population. His suggestion that genetic inheritance of this character should be studied has not been taken up. The species is characterized by bark that is dark gray, smooth, and flaking in large irregular patches, as in Platanus ×acerifolia. The ovary-style transition is so indistinct that styles are often described as absent, but there are two, distinct styles, each terminating in a short stigma. A color change, later in the season, between the styles and ovary suggests that the tip of the ovary and the two distinct styles are both stylar tissues. In general, it appears that the styles are connate proximally and distinct distally.
Collections of Salix triandra made in 1934–35 by H. Hyland along the Penobscot River, Orono, Maine, were labeled by him as “introduced,” but they could have spread from cultivation or have been naturalized (A. Haines, pers. comm.). Recent naturalized occurrences are known from Toronto, Ontario, and Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Specimens identified as S. triandra by C. R. Ball are from Virginia and the District of Columbia. Salix triandra is reported to occur in Ohio (T. D. Sydnor and W. F. Cowen 2000) but voucher specimens were not found.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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