Salix cinerea
Salix argyrocarpa
gray willow, large gray or gray willow, large gray willow
Labrador willow
branches red-brown or brownish, not or weakly glaucous, (highly glossy), pubescent to glabrescent;
branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, sparsely pubescent.
stipules rudimentary or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, apex acute or rounded;
petiole convex to flat adaxially, 4–15 mm, tomentose adaxially;
largest medial blade elliptic, broadly elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 65–105 × 22–52 mm, 2–3 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins slightly revolute, entire, crenate, or sinuate, (glands submarginal), apex acuminate or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, tomentose, hairs erect or spreading, curly, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, pubescent or tomentose;
proximal blade margins entire;
juvenile blade yellowish green, sparsely to densely tomentose abaxially, hairs white.
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.
adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.5–1 mm;
filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy basally;
anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.7–1 mm.
(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.
adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.4–1 mm, shorter than stipe;
stipe 1.2–2.7 mm;
ovary pyriform, long-silky, beak slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 12 per ovary;
styles 0.2–0.5 mm;
stigmas slenderly or broadly cylindrical, 0.3–0.6 mm.
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.
5–5.6 mm.
2–4 mm.
flowering before leaves emerge; staminate stout or subglobose, 26–39 × 12–26 mm, flowering branchlet 0–5 mm; pistillate densely flowered, stout or subglobose, 27–54(–75 in fruit) × 4–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–5(–10) mm;
floral bract dark brown, black, or bicolor, 2–3 mm, apex acute or convex, abaxially hairy, hairs straight.
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.
= 76.
= 76.
Salix cinerea
Salix argyrocarpa
The Ohio occurrence of Salix cinerea is based on information from T. Cooperrider (pers. comm.).
Salix cinerea and S. atrocinerea are very closely related. Their occurrence in the flora area, as naturalized introductions, is not well understood, probably because they usually are introduced under the name S. caprea, and that species often is not treated in North American floristic literature (e.g., C. K. Schneider 1921; M. L. Fernald 1950). They probably are introductions of long-standing brought to the New World for their value as ornamentals and bee-plants. Salix atrocinerea was first documented in the southeastern United States (G. W. Argus 1986) after plants with ferruginous hairs and prominently striate wood were found in North Carolina; since that time, it has been found in other states and provinces. In the northeastern states, S. atrocinerea and S. cinerea are thought to be invasive species. The species do reproduce by seed and hundreds of seedlings were observed in a drained reservoir (A. Zinovjev, pers. comm.) and on sandy pond shores (T. Rawinski, pers. comm.), where they are thought to compete with native species.
The presence of long, prominent, striae on the peeled wood of 4–5 year old branches is commonly used in European literature (K. H. Rechinger 1993; A. K. Skvortsov 1999) to separate Salix cinerea and S. atrocinerea from S. caprea etc., in which the wood is smooth or with fewer, shorter striae. In the flora area, long striae also occur in S. bebbiana, S. discolor, and S. humilis, but usually they are not as long as or as prominent in S. cinerea and S. atrocinerea. Some floras (e.g., F. Martini and P. Paiero 1988) use the relative prominence of striae to separate S. cinerea and S. atrocinerea, but their separation remains difficult. The presence of ferruginous hairs on the leaves of S. atrocinerea is the best diagnostic characteristic, but they are not always present or easily observed. For a comparison of these species, see the key to species under subg. Vetrix. For further discussion of morphologies, see Salix ×smithiana Willdenow [p. 132] and 76. S. discolor.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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