Salix geyeriana
Salix laevigata
Geyer willow, Geyer's willow
polished willow, red 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 rudimentary grading into foliaceous or absent on early ones, usually foliaceous on late ones, apex acute, acuminate, rounded or convex;
petiole (shallowly or deeply grooved adaxially, margins sometimes touching, sometimes with basilaminar glands, thickening), 3.5–18 mm, pubescent to glabrescent adaxially;
largest medial blade lorate, narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or obovate, 53–190 × 11–35 mm, 2.8–9 times as long as wide, base convex, subcordate, rounded, or cuneate, margins crenate, entire, or finely serrulate, apex acuminate, acute, or caudate, abaxial surface glabrous or pubescent, hairs spreading, white and/or ferruginous, adaxial highly or slightly glossy, glabrous or pubescent, midrib sometimes villous;
proximal blade margins entire;
juvenile blade glabrous or moderately densely long-silky to pilose 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 0.4–0.6 mm, adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.3–0.6 mm, nectaries distinct;
stamens 3–7;
filaments (sometimes basally connate), hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;
anthers 0.4–0.6 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, 0.2–0.6 mm;
stipe 1.4–2.8 mm;
ovary pyriform, obturbinate, or ellipsoidal, beak slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 12–24 per ovary;
styles 0.1–0.2 mm;
stigmas 0.2–0.23–0.28 mm.
(3–)4–6 mm.
3–5.5 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 31–83 × 7–13 mm, flowering branchlet 2–26 mm; pistillate 28–79 × 6–11 mm, flowering branchlet 3–14 mm;
floral bract 1.6–3.4 mm, apex rounded or acute, irregularly toothed or entire, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy proximally or throughout, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.
= 38.
Salix geyeriana
Salix laevigata
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.)
Hybrids:
Salix laevigata forms natural hybrids with S. gooddingii.
Related Species:
Salix humboldtiana Willdenow: Humboldt willow is not known to occur in the flora area. It is characterized by: trees, 4–25 m; branches highly brittle at base, bud-scale margins distinct and overlapping adaxially; stipules on late leaves rudimentary or foliaceous; largest medial leaf blade usually linear, abaxial surface not glaucous, adaxial dull; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering; stamens 3–7; capsules with distinct, often raised, white veins. It occurs throughout much of Mexico to central Chile.
Salix humboldtiana is closely related to S. nigra in its generally narrow leaf blades, which are not glaucous abaxially. The two differ in the following characters: S. humboldtiana has leaf blades linear to sometimes narrowly oblong (10–28.6 times as long as wide), ovaries usually ovoid to ellipsoid, ovary walls often stomatiferous and with raised, white veins, and capsule valves relatively thick, slightly recurved. S. nigra has leaf blades usually narrowly lanceolate (6–13 times as long as wide), ovaries pyriform to obclavate, ovary walls neither stomatiferous nor notably veined, and capsule valves relatively thin and strongly recurved. Both species occur in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The report by R. I. Lonard et al. (1991) that specimens identified as Salix nigra from the lower Rio Grande, Texas, resemble S. humboldtiana in having strongly veined capsules suggests that S. humboldtiana, or intergrades with that species, may occur in Texas. Attempts to locate a voucher specimen were unsuccessful; because strongly veined capsules are diagnostic, further field study is indicated.
An earlier name, Salix chilensis Molina, has been applied to this species; it does not seem to pertain to this taxon (C. K. Schneider 1918).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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