The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

furry willow, heart-leaf or sand dune willow, heartleaf willow, sand dune willow

barren-ground willow, snow willow

Habit Plants 0.4–3 m, (often forming clones by layering or stem fragmentation). Plants 0.3–1.5(–3) m, not clonal.
Stems

branches (sometimes ± brittle at base), red-brown, not glaucous (slightly glossy), tomentose to glabrescent;

branchlets red-brown, moderately to very densely villous.

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 foliaceous, apex acute or rounded;

petiole shallowly grooved adaxially, 1–13 mm, tomentose adaxially;

largest medial blade narrowly oblong, or narrowly to broadly elliptic, 33–88 × 13–45 mm, 1.6–3.2 times as long as wide, base cordate, rounded, or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, serrulate or spinulose-serrulate, apex acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, moderately densely villous to glabrescent, midrib remaining hairy, hairs straight or wavy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, very densely villous to glabrescent, midrib remaining hairy;

proximal blade margins entire or serrulate;

juvenile blade yellowish green, abaxially villous or midrib long-silky, 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 narrowly oblong, 0.3–1.3 mm;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

anthers yellow, (ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical), 0.6–0.8 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 narrowly oblong, 0.4–1.3 mm, about same length as stipe;

stipe 0.5–1.4 mm;

ovary pyriform or obclavate, glabrous, beak slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 11–24 per ovary;

styles 0.7–1.6 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.3–0.36 mm.

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

3.6–7 mm.

4–6 mm.

Catkins

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout, 17–40 × 8–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–8 mm; pistillate moderately densely flowered, stout or slender, 27–65 × 8–19 mm, flowering branchlet 3–16 mm;

floral bract brown, 1–2.6 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy, 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 cordata

Salix niphoclada

Phenology Flowering mid Apr-early Jul. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Sand dunes and beaches 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 0-200 m (0-700 ft) 10-2300 m (0-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
IL; IN; MI; NY; PA; WI; NL; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Russia)
Discussion

Salix cordata seems to be rare in Labrador, Newfoundland, and Quebec; the species needs further study in those areas.

(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. 106. FNA vol. 7, p. 88.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae 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. 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. 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. adenophylla, S. syrticola 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 Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 225. (1803) Rydberg: Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 272. (1899)
Web links