Salix geyeriana
Salix amygdaloides
Geyer willow, Geyer's willow
peach-leaf willow
branches (sometimes ± brittle at base), yellow-green, gray-brown, red-brown, or violet, usually glaucous, glabrous or sparsely tomentose;
branchlets yellowish, yellow-brown, red-brown, or violet, (strongly glaucous or not), glabrous or sparsely to moderately densely pubescent, (buds caprea-type).
stipules usually absent or rudimentary (rarely foliaceous);
petiole convex to flat, or shallowly to deeply grooved adaxially, 2–9 mm, velvety, short-silky, or pubescent adaxially;
largest medial blade lorate, narrowly elliptic, or linear, 32–89 × 5.5–14 mm, 3.6–8.4(–11.3) times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, entire or distantly and shallowly serrulate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous or densely short- or long-silky, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight, adaxial slightly glossy, densely short- or long-silky, especially midrib, to glabrescent, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous);
proximal blade margins entire or distantly and shallowly serrulate;
juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, densely to sparsely long- or short-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.
stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, foliaceous or rudimentary on late ones, apex rounded;
petiole (margins covering groove, not glandular or with spherical glands distally), 7–21 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially;
largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), very narrowly elliptic, elliptic, lanceolate, or lorate, 55–130 × 24–37 mm, 2.8–6 times as long as wide, base convex, cuneate, or cordate, margins serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial dull, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along midrib;
proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;
juvenile blade glabrous or pubescent abaxially, hairs white and/or ferruginous.
adaxial nectary oblong, ovate, or square, 0.3–0.8(–0.9) mm;
filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;
anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or globose, 0.4–0.5(–0.6) mm.
abaxial nectary 0.2–0.7 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong to square, 0.3–0.8 mm, nectaries distinct;
stamens 3–7;
filaments hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;
anthers 0.5–0.6 mm.
adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.2–1 mm;
stipe (0.4–)1–2.8 mm;
ovary pyriform (gourd-shaped), beak gradually tapering to styles;
ovules 6–12 per ovary;
styles 0.1–0.2(–0.6) mm;
stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded or pointed tip, 0.2–0.3–0.44 mm.
adaxial nectary square, 0.1–0.6 mm;
stipe 1.4–3.2 mm;
ovary pyriform, beak slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 16–18 per ovary;
styles 0.2–0.4 mm;
stigmas 0.24–0.31–0.4 mm.
(3–)4–6 mm.
3–7 mm.
flowering (before or) as leaves emerge; staminate globose, (1–1.1–)11–18 × 6–11 mm, flowering branchlet 1–5 mm; pistillate densely to loosely flowered, subglobose to globose, 8–21 × 7–17 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–8 mm;
floral bract tawny or brown (black), 1.2–2.8 mm, apex rounded or acute, abaxially hairy, hairs short, wavy or straight.
staminate 23–80 × 5–12 mm, flowering branchlet 3–28 mm; pistillate 41–110(–127 in fruit) × 8–16 mm, flowering branchlet 17–35 mm;
floral bract 1.5–2.8 mm, apex acute to rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy proximally, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.
= 38.
= 38.
Salix geyeriana
Salix amygdaloides
Salix geyeriana is characterized by its dark gray appearance, slender, dark branches, narrow leaves long-silky on both surfaces, general absence of stipules, and small, subglobose catkins. Plants in the Pacific Northwest with foliaceous stipules may be hybrids or introgressants, but the other parent is unknown.
Hybrids:
Salix geyeriana forms natural hybrids with S. bebbiana, S. irrorata, S. lemmonii, S. ligulifolia, and S. pedicellaris. Alleged hybrids with S. sitchensis, based on plants from British Columbia with broader, more hairy leaves, and catkins longer than in S. geyeriana, but with the short stipes of S. sitchensis (J. K. Henry 1915), are unconvincing.
Salix geyeriana × S. irrorata: A series of specimens from Arizona usually resemble S. geyeriana but have some characters of S. irrorata: foliaceous stipules, toothed leaf margins, catkins flowering before leaves emerge, shorter stipes (0.4–1.2 mm), and longer styles (0.2–0.6 mm). They also have some unique characters: proximal leaves sometimes serrulate, leaves sometimes amphistomatous, adaxial leaf surfaces mostly with ferruginous hairs, and ovaries sometimes gourd-shaped.
Salix geyeriana × S. lemmonii is uncommon but in mixed stands of the parental species some plants resemble S. geyeriana in having relatively short, subspherical catkins, small anthers, and petioles sometimes with petiolar glands; and S. lemmonii in having leaf blades amphistomatous, margins serrulate, and foliaceous stipules on early leaves. Because the species have different chromosome numbers, hybrids may be infertile, but occasional seeds have been seen. This hybrid is known from California (Lassen and Sierra counties), Oregon (Jefferson and Lane counties), and near Victoria, British Columbia.
Salix geyeriana × S. ligulifolia: Plants in Arizona with rudimentary stipules and leaves with ferruginous hairs may be this hybrid.
Salix geyeriana × S. pedicellaris occurs in Washington. It has the white and ferruginous hairs on leaves and ovaries of S. geyeriana, and leaves glaucous adaxially with prominent 2 and 3 veins of S. pedicellaris.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Presence of Salix amygdaloides in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont has not been verified; its occurrence in those New England states was reported by H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist (1991), and by M. L. Fernald (1950).
Hybrids:
Salix amygdaloides forms natural hybrids with S. gooddingii and S. nigra. Hybrids with S. caroliniana (N. M. Glatfelter 1898) and S. eriocephala (M. L. Fernald 1950) have been reported; no convincing specimens have been seen. Controlled pollination between S. amygdaloides and S. eriocephala, S. interior, and S. petiolaris set no seed; controlled pollination with S. lucida produced a few seeds; some seedlings suffered necrosis in the cotyledon stage (A. Mosseler 1990).
Salix amygdaloides × S. gooddingii (S. ×wrightii Andersson): This hybrid occurs throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and New Mexico (C. K. Schneider 1919; C. R. Ball 1961), and at Happy and Rio Frio, Texas, and Virgil Run, Arizona. The leaves are somewhat glaucous abaxially, as in S. amygdaloides, but they are linear to narrowly elliptic and branchlets are sparsely pubescent as in S. gooddingii.
Salix amygdaloides × S. nigra (S. ×glatfelteri C. K. Schneider) resembles S. amygdaloides in leaves somewhat glaucous abaxially, but usually linear or narrowly elliptic, as in S. nigra. The stipules are not as prominent as in S. nigra but are foliaceous on late leaves; it should be expected wherever the ranges of the two species overlap. The hybrid is common in Missouri, where N. M. Glatfelter (1894) estimated that ca. 40% of the populations were hybrids, and in Illinois (R. H. Mohlenbrock 1980; G. Wilhelm, pers. comm.). Putative hybrids occur also in Ontario. Narrow leaves are typical of juvenile plants of S. amygdaloides but even at that stage they tend to be broadest at the midpoint or toward the base rather than in a midzone as in S. nigra.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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