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Farr's willow

black willow

Habit Plants 0.2–1.5(–2) m. Stems: branches red-brown, not glaucous to strongly glaucous on buds, glabrous or puberulent at nodes; branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, (sometimes weakly glaucous), glabrous or puberulent, (inner membranaceous bud-scale layer free, separating from outer layer). Trees, 5–20+ m. Stems: branches highly brittle at base, red-brown to yellow-brown, glabrous; branchlets gray-brown to red-brown, glabrous or pilose to villous.
Leaves

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

petiole shallowly grooved, or convex to flat adaxially, 5–8 mm, puberulent adaxially;

largest medial blade narrowly elliptic or elliptic, (20–)30–65(–75) × (8–)10–30(–35) mm, 1.8–3.7 times as long as wide, base convex, rounded, or cuneate, margins slightly revolute or flat, entire or shallowly serrulate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous or glabrescent, adaxial slightly glossy or dull, glabrous or pilose, midrib sparsely pubescent, hairs short, white, and ferruginous;

proximal blade margins entire or serrulate;

juvenile blade green, glabrous, or midrib sparsely villous abaxially, hairs usually white and ferruginous.

stipules rudimentary or foliaceous on early ones, usually foliaceous on late ones, (glands few or absent adaxially), apex acuminate, acute, or rounded;

petiole (margins covering groove, with spherical glands distally), (2–)3–10(–15) mm, glabrous or pilose adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), very narrowly elliptic, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, or linear to lorate, (50–)70–103(–190) × (6–)7.5–17(–23) mm, 6–13 times as long as wide, base cuneate to convex, margins serrulate, apex acuminate, acute, or caudate, abaxial surface (not glaucous), glabrous or pilose, hairs white or ferruginous, wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous or pilose (especially on midribs);

proximal blade margins serrulate;

juvenile blade glabrous or pilose abaxially, hairs white and/or ferruginous.

Staminate flowers

adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.2–0.9 mm;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

anthers yellow, 0.3–0.6 mm.

abaxial nectary 0.3–1 mm, adaxial nectary oblong to ovate, 0.2–0.6 mm, nectaries distinct or connate and shallowly cup-shaped;

stamens 4–6;

filaments hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;

anthers 0.4–0.6 mm, (axes strongly recurved).

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.4–0.8 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.5–1.2 mm;

ovary pyriform, glabrous, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 12–19 per ovary;

styles 0.3–1.2 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.3–0.56 mm.

adaxial nectary oblong, (swollen), 0.2–0.5 mm;

stipe 0.5–1.5 mm;

ovary pyriform to obclavate, (rarely pilose), beak slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 12–16 per ovary;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm;

stigmas (sometimes 2 plump lobes), 0.2–0.28–0.36 mm.

Capsules

3–7 mm.

3–5 mm.

Catkins

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout, 11–25 × 6–11 mm, flowering branchlet 1–5 mm; pistillate densely or loosely flowered, stout, 14–38.5 × 8–14 mm, flowering branchlet 1.5–14 mm;

floral bract brown, black, or bicolor, 0.7–2 mm, apex rounded to convex, abaxially hairy, hairs wavy.

staminate 35–83 × 7–13 mm, flowering branchlet 5–35 mm; pistillate 23–74(–80 in fruit) × 5–10 mm, flowering branchlet 6–35 mm;

floral bract 1–3 mm, apex acute or rounded, entire, abaxially sparsely hairy, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.

2n

= 38.

Salix farriae

Salix nigra

Phenology Flowering late May-late Jul. Flowering (south) early Feb-early May, (north) late Mar-early Jul.
Habitat Wet montane to subalpine meadows, stream banks Floodplains, edges of ponds and lakes, swamps, marshes, white cedar bogs, wet meadows, open fields, roadside ditches, mixed upland deciduous woods along streams
Elevation 600-2700 m (2000-8900 ft) 10-1400 m (0-4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; ON; QC; Mexico (Chihuahua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix farriae is a cordilleran species ranging from Wyoming to central British Columbia with disjunct occurrences in northwestern British Columbia, western Northwest Territories, and southern Yukon. It is related to S. hastata, an amphiberingian species ranging from Scandinavia to southwestern Yukon and northwestern Northwest Territories. There may be reasons for treating these slightly different plants as S. hastata var. farriae, but R. D. Dorn (1975) maintained them as a species based on flavonoid differences. In a phenetic study (G. W. Argus 2007), the two taxa had dissimilarity values at the same level as other closely related species. They are treated here as species, primarily because their ranges are disjunct. They can be separated as follows:

Salix farriae is distinguished from S. hastata by having largest medial blades narrowly elliptic to elliptic, pistillate nectaries oblong or ovate, stipules on early leaves absent or rudimentary (sometimes foliaceous), branches strongly to weakly glaucous or not, floral bract apices rounded, and plants of the cordillera in Alberta and British Columbia, in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming; S. hastata has largest medial blades narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic or broadly obovate, pistillate nectaries square, stipules on early leaves foliaceous (sometimes rudimentary), branches not glaucous, floral bract apices acute or rounded, and plants of Alaska, Northwest Territories, and Yukon.

Salix farriae and S. barclayi are sympatric in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, where they are difficult to separate. Salix farriae can often be recognized by its largest medial leaves with at least some minute, ferruginous hairs on the adaxial midrib or blade surfaces; ferruginous hairs do not occur in S. barclayi. Its leaf margins also tend to be more nearly entire, but relatively short teeth are not infrequent. Such plants are sometimes interpreted as intergrades between S. farriae and S. barclayi (R. D. Dorn 1975). The variable leaf toothing also occurs in S. hastata and may not be a reliable indicator of intergradation. Salix farriae also differs from S. barclayi in usually having shorter anthers, 0.3–0.6 mm versus 0.6–1 mm in S. barclayi. See 61. S. barclayi.

Hybrids:

Salix farriae forms natural hybrids with S. barclayi.

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

Hybrids:

Salix nigra forms natural hybrids with S. alba, S. amygdaloides, S. caroliniana, S. gooddingii, and S. lucida.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 116. FNA vol. 7, p. 36.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Protitea > sect. Humboldtianae
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. famelica, 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. 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. farriae var. microserrulata, S. hastata var. farriae S. nigra var. falcata, S. nigra var. lindheimeri
Name authority C. R. Ball: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 22: 321. (1921) Marshall: Arbust. Amer., 139. (1785)
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