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

hungry willow

brittle willow, crack willow

Habit Shrubs or trees, 1.5–7 m. Stems: branches yellow, yellow-gray, or yellow-brown, not glaucous, glabrous (tomentose at nodes) or pubescent; branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, (sometimes weakly glaucous with sparkling wax crystals), usually glabrous, sometimes pilose, pubescent, or moderately densely villous. Trees, 6–18 m. Stems: branches highly brittle at base, yellow-green, yellow-brown, or gray-brown, (highly glossy), glabrous; branchlets yellow-green, yellow-brown, or red-brown, (highly glossy), glabrous.
Leaves

stipules rudimentary or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, apex acute or rounded;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 3–27 mm, puberulent, pubescent, tomentose, velvety, or glabrous adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes hemiamphistomatous), narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, or lanceolate, 28–116 × 10–30 mm, 2.6–3.5–7 times as long as wide, base subcordate, convex, or rounded, margins flat or slightly revolute, serrate, shallowly serrulate or crenulate, apex acuminate to acute, abaxial surface glabrous, pilose, or pubescent, midribs hairy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, glabrous, pilose, sparsely long-silky, or tomentose, midribs hairy;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, glabrous, pilose, or villous abaxially, hairs white.

stipules rudimentary on early ones, rudimentary or foliaceous on late ones, (early deciduous to marcescent), apex acuminate or acute;

petiole deeply grooved adaxially (margins usually touching), 6–8.6 mm, with pairs of spherical glands distally, glabrous or puberulent adaxially;

largest medial blade hemiamphistomatous or hypostomatous, lanceolate, narrowly oblong, or narrowly elliptic, 60–120 × 14–30 mm, 3.6–6.5 times as long as wide, base convex or rounded, margins flat or slightly revolute, serrate, crenate, or crenulate, apex acute, acuminate, or caudate, abaxial surface (not glaucous), glabrous, adaxial slightly or highly glossy, glabrous;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade yellowish green or reddish, glabrous.

Staminate flowers

adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or flask-shaped, 0.8–1 mm;

filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths, glabrous;

anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, (ellipsoid), 0.5–0.7 mm.

abaxial nectary present, adaxial nectary oblong, 0.3–0.6 mm, nectaries distinct;

filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths, hairy at base;

anthers ellipsoid, 0.4–0.5 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary 0.6–0.8 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.7–2.4(–2.75) mm;

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

ovules 12–18 per ovary;

styles 0.2–0.6 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.12–0.22–0.32 mm.

adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.3–0.6 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.6–1.2 mm;

ovary pyriform, beak gradually tapering to styles;

styles connate, 0.3–0.5 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Capsules

5–6 mm.

3–5 mm.

Catkins

staminate flowering before or just before leaves emerge, pistillate as leaves emerge; staminate slender, stout, or subglobose, 15–44 × 8–14 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–4 mm; pistillate loosely or moderately densely flowered, slender or stout, 16–74(–115 in fruit) × 7–15 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–9 mm;

floral bract dark brown or tawny, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex rounded or convex, abaxially hairy throughout or proximally, hairs straight or wavy.

staminate 24–40 × 7–15 mm, flowering branchlet 12–15 mm; pistillate moderately densely flowered, stout, 24–35 mm, flowering branchlet 12–15 mm;

floral bract (greenish or tawny), 0.8–1.3 mm, apex convex or rounded, entire or erose, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 76.

Salix famelica

Salix euxina

Phenology Flowering mid Apr-mid Jun. Flowering late spring.
Habitat Riparian willow thickets on silty, sandy-clay, gravelly, or bouldery banks and floodplains, sand dunes, alluvial fans, wet meadows, rich fens, prairie depressions, balsam poplar thickets Cultivated or riparian
Elevation 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; IA; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; SD; WY; AB; MB; NT; ON; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ON; QC; n Asia; nw Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix famelica is a Great Plains taxon that was recognized by R. D. Dorn (1995) as S. lutea var. famelica. It is separable from the other members of sect. Cordatae mainly by its yellow-brown to gray-brown branches and contrasting red-brown branchlets. It is recognized here as a species because, although it intergrades with other taxa in the complex, it has a relatively large, allopatric distribution.

Hybrids:

Salix famelica forms natural hybrids with S. candida, S. eriocephala, S. petiolaris, and S. pseudomonticola.

Salix famelica × S. petiolaris resembles S. famelica in having foliaceous stipules on late leaves and yellow-brown branches, and S. petiolaris in having ferruginous hairs on juvenile leaves. It is intermediate in leaf shape, in having stipules rudimentary on early leaves, and in having ovaries with patches of hairs at the base.

Salix famelica × S. pseudomonticola: Saskatchewan specimens combine the characters of the parental species.

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

Distribution of Salix euxina (formerly S. fragilis) in the flora area is uncertain. It may occur throughout southern Canada and the United States; often known as the cultivar “Bullata,” it rarely escapes. Salix euxina is native to the northern Black Sea and the Transcaucausian regions.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 121. FNA vol. 7, p. 43.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Cordatae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Salix > sect. Salix
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. cordata, S. daphnoides, S. delnortensis, S. discolor, S. drummondiana, S. eastwoodiae, S. elaeagnos, S. eriocephala, S. euxina, S. exigua, 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. 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
Synonyms S. lutea var. famelica, S. eriocephala var. famelica S. fragilis var. sphaerica
Name authority (C. R. Ball) Argus: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 361. (2007) I. V. Belyaeva: Taxon 58: 1345. (2009)
Web links