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Goodding's black willow, Goodding's willow, Gooding's willow

Athabasca willow

Habit Trees, 3–30 m. Stems: branches flexible to ± brittle at base, yellow-brown to gray-brown, pubescent to glabrescent; branchlets usually yellowish or yellow-green, sometimes reddish brown, puberulent or pubescent to glabrescent. Plants 0.6–1.3 m, not clonal.
Stems

erect;

branches gray-brown, hairy;

branchlets red-brown, sparsely or moderately densely pubescent, (buds alba-type).

Leaves

stipules broad rudiments or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, (glands numerous adaxially), apex rounded to convex;

petiole (sometimes with spherical glands distally), 4–10 mm, pilose adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), narrowly elliptic, very broadly oblong, lorate, or linear, 67–130 × 9.5–16 mm, 4.7–12.4 times as long as wide, base cuneate to convex, margins serrulate to serrate, apex acuminate, caudate, or acute, abaxial surface (usually not glaucous, rarely thinly so), glabrous or puberulent, hairs wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, pilose to glabrescent;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade sparsely velvety to pilose abaxially, hairs white.

stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, usually rudimentary, rarely foliaceous, on late ones;

petiole (shallowly grooved adaxially), 3–10 mm, (puberulent or villous);

largest medial blade oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 17–50 × 8–18 mm, 1.9–3.2 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, entire, apex acuminate or convex, abaxial surface glabrescent or sparsely silky, hairs appressed or somewhat spreading, (usually white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight or wavy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, glabrous, glabrescent, pilose, or sparsely long-silky along midribs and margin, (hairs usually white, sometimes also ferruginous, appressed);

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade sparsely to moderately densely villous or long-silky abaxially (hairs usually white, sometimes also ferruginous).

Staminate flowers

abaxial nectary (0.2–)0.3–0.6 mm, adaxial nectary square to ovate, 0.2–0.6 mm, nectaries distinct;

stamens 4–6(–8);

filaments (sometimes basally connate), hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers 0.4–0.5 mm, (axes straight).

abaxial nectary (0–)0.3–0.6 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.4–1.2 mm, nectaries distinct;

filaments distinct, hairy basally or on proximal 1/2;

anthers globose, 0.4–0.6 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary square (flattened), 0.2–0.6 mm;

stipe 1.2–3.2 mm;

ovary pyriform, (sometimes villous), beak slightly bulged or abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 12–18 per ovary;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm;

stigmas 0.2–0.29–0.32 mm.

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary oblong, 0.4–1.3 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.8–1.3 mm;

ovary pyriform, very densely long-silky, beak gradually tapering to or slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 6–14 per ovary;

styles 0.5–1 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or broadly to slenderly cylindrical, 0.28–0.35–0.48 mm.

Capsules

6–7 mm.

5.6–7.2 mm.

Catkins

staminate 19–80 × 6–10 mm, flowering branchlet 2–23 mm; pistillate 23–82 × 6–15 mm, flowering branchlet 2–48 mm;

floral bract 1.4–2.4 mm, apex acute or rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.

staminate 14–31 × 8–18 mm, flowering branchlet 1.5–9 mm; pistillate loosely flowered, stout to globose, 10–58 × 7–25 mm, flowering branchlet 3.5–26 mm;

floral bract tawny, 1–1.6 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially sparsely hairy, almost glabrous, hairs wavy.

2n

= 38.

= 76, 95, 114.

Salix gooddingii

Salix athabascensis

Phenology Flowering late Mar–Jun. Flowering late May-late Jul.
Habitat Riparian forests, springs, seepage areas, washes, meadows Fens, bogs, and treed bogs
Elevation -40-500(-2500) m (-100-1600(-8200) ft) 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OK; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AB; BC; MB; NT; SK; YT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix gooddingii and S. nigra are closely related and are sometimes treated as conspecific (C. R. Ball 1950). Salix gooddingii has yellow-brown or pale gray-brown branches, capsules 6–7 mm, and ovaries usually glabrous but pilose in ca. 20% of specimens. Salix nigra has red-brown to dark gray-brown branches, capsules 3–5 mm, and ovaries almost always glabrous. A single plant with pilose ovaries was found in Ontario, Canada; reports (W. A. Archer 1965) of S. nigra with hairy ovaries in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Texas could not be confirmed. Ranges of these taxa overlap in west-central Texas, where there is evidence of intergradation; they rarely occur in the same population. The map by E. L. Little Jr. (1971), who treated them as conspecific, shows a significant range disjunction between the two.

Catkins of Salix gooddingii flowering in March and early April are sometimes borne in leaf axils. This suggests that the sylleptic condition, typical of S. bonplandiana, is sometimes ecotypic.

Hybrids:

Salix gooddingii forms natural hybrids with S. amygdaloides and S. nigra. Hybrids with S. lasiandra have been reported (C. K. Schneider 1921); no convincing specimens have been seen.

Salix gooddingii × S. laevigata: In Arizona, a population of young plants displays intermediate characteristics. They have leaf blades sparsely glaucous abaxially, as in S. laevigata, but narrow, often amphistomatous, and with petioles sometimes not glandular distally, as in S. gooddingii. Both parental species occur in the region. This hybrid was also reported by C. K. Schneider (1921) from California.

Salix gooddingii × S. nigra: This hybrid may occur in western Texas where the parental species overlap. Some specimens from that area seem to be “intermediate” in branch color, but the differences are subtle.

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

The three polyploid chromosome numbers reported for Salix athabascensis, as well as the presence of leaves with ferruginous hairs, otherwise unknown in sect. Myrtilloides, are indicators of allopolyploidy.

Hybrids:

Salix athabascensis forms natural hybrids with S. pedicellaris. These hybrids combine the characteristics of the parents. The ovaries may be moderately densely villous or glabrous, but commonly have hairs in patches, or the stipes may be hairy and the ovaries glabrous; juvenile blades, and sometimes mature leaves, are hairy with white and ferruginous hairs. Some plants that resemble S. athabascensis have leaves glaucous adaxially, as in S. pedicellaris. The ovaries often appear to be infertile.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 36. FNA vol. 7, p. 84.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Protitea > sect. Humboldtianae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtilloides
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. farriae, S. floridana, S. fuscescens, S. geyeriana, S. glauca, 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. 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. 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. gooddingii var. vallicola, S. gooddingii var. variabilis, S. nigra var. vallicola S. fallax, S. pedicellaris var. athabascensis
Name authority C. R. Ball: Bot. Gaz. 40: 376, plate 12, figs. 1, 2. (1905) Raup: Rhodora 32: 111, plate 202. (1930)
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