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halberd willow

snow-bed willow

Habit Plants 0.2–4 m. Stems: branches reddish brown, not glaucous, (slightly glossy), pilose; branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, villous or pilose. Plants 0.005–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal mats by rhizomes.
Stems

erect;

branches red-brown to violet, (sometimes weakly glaucous), glabrous;

branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, glabrous.

Leaves

stipules foliaceous, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 2–6(–9) mm, pilose or villous adaxially;

largest medial blade narrowly to broadly elliptic or narrowly ovate to ovate, 25–92 × 10–45 mm, 1.5–2.6(–3.4) times as long as wide, base convex, cuneate, or rounded, margins slightly revolute or flat, shallowly serrulate or entire, apex acuminate, acute, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, sparsely pubescent, hairs wavy, adaxial dull to slightly glossy, pilose, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, midrib hairy, (hairs white and ferruginous);

proximal blade margins entire or finely serrulate;

juvenile blade sometimes reddish, sparsely pubescent abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.

stipules absent;

petiole (convex or flat to deeply grooved adaxially), 1.5–6(–7) mm;

largest medial blade (2 pairs of secondary veins arising at or close to base, arcing) circular, subcircular or broadly elliptic, 6–21(–34) × 6–17(–31) mm, 0.9–1.4 times as long as wide, base usually subcordate or cordate, sometimes convex or rounded, margins flat, crenulate or crenate, apex rounded, convex, retuse, or toothed, abaxial surface (not glaucous), glabrous, adaxial slightly glossy to almost dull, glabrous;

proximal blade margins crenulate;

juvenile blade glabrous.

Staminate flowers

adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.3–0.7 mm;

filaments distinct or basally connate, glabrous;

anthers purple turning yellow, 0.4–0.6 mm.

abaxial nectary 0.5–0.8 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.6–1.1 mm, nectaries distinct, or connate and shallowly cup-shaped;

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

anthers shortly cylindrical or globose, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Pistillate flowers

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

stipe 0.4–1.2 mm;

ovary pyriform, glabrous, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 12–22 per ovary;

styles connate (sometimes distinct 1/2 their lengths), 0.2–0.5 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or broadly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.32–0.44 mm.

abaxial nectary (0–)0.2–0.3 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.3–1.1 mm, longer or shorter than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and shallowly cup-shaped;

stipe 0.3–1.1 mm;

ovary pyriform or ovoid, glabrous, beak abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 11–18 per ovary;

styles connate to distinct, 0.2–0.4 mm;

stigmas broadly cylindrical or 2 plump lobes, 0.08–0.24–0.32 mm.

Capsules

3.2–8 mm.

2.2–7.5 mm.

Catkins

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate slender, stout, or subglobose, 14.5–34.5 × 8–12 mm, flowering branchlet 1–7 mm; pistillate moderately densely or loosely flowered, slender or stout, 21–59 × 6–16 mm, flowering branchlet 1.5–9 mm;

floral bract brown or bicolor, 1.2–1.8 mm, apex acute to rounded, abaxially glabrate to hairy, hairs straight to wavy.

from subterminal buds; staminate 3–7.5 × 1.5–5 mm, flowering branchlet 0.3–2 mm; pistillate loosely flowered (2–11 flowers), stout to globose, 3.3–13 × 2–10 mm, flowering branchlet 0.8–3.5 mm;

floral bract tawny, light rose, or brown, 0.5–1.5 mm, margins ciliate, apex rounded, retuse, or truncate, entire, abaxially glabrous.

2n

= 38.

= 38.

Salix hastata

Salix herbacea

Phenology Flowering early Jun-late Jul. Flowering late Jun-mid Aug.
Habitat Sandy and gravelly river bars and floodplains, lakeshores, sand dunes and blowouts, Dryas tundra, alpine sedge meadows, balsam poplar thickets, openings in upland spruce-willow forests Snowbeds and places with good snow protection, well-drained riverbanks, sandy beaches, granite boulder ridges, steep bouldery slopes, or in marshes, usually on non-calcareous substrates, places exposed to sea-spray
Elevation 0-1200 m (0-3900 ft) 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; NT; YT; Eurasia (Norway, Russia, Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ME; NH; MB; NL; NT; NU; QC; Greenland; Europe (British Isles, Russia, Scandinavia, Spitzbergen); Atlantic Islands (Iceland)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix hastata is characterized by branches pilose with short, curved hairs; juvenile and mature leaves with white or ferruginous hairs adaxially, glaucous or not abaxially; and ovaries often reddish. See 61. S. barclayi and 64. S. farriae.

Subspecies subintegrifolia, characterized by entire or subentire leaf margins, is recognized in Flora Nordica as the major northern Eurasian race of Salix hastata, and is described as occurring across Russia into northwestern North America (B. Jonsell and T. Karlsson 2000+, vol. 1). Because leaf marginal toothing is highly variable throughout the species range (E. Hultén 1967), the subspecies is not recognized here or in Russia (A. K. Skvortsov 1999).

Hybrids:

Salix hastata forms natural hybrids with S. barclayi.

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

Salix herbacea is the only willow with an amphi-Atlantic distribution. Disjunct populations occur as far west as Great Bear and Great Slave lakes, Northwest Territories. Macrofossils show that, during the late-Wisconsinan period, it occurred in North America along the glacial margin between Minnesota (R. G. Baker et al. 1999) and Cambridge, Massachusetts (G. W. Argus and M. B. Davis 1962). D. J. Beerling (1998) provided a comprehensive review of its biology and ecology.

Hybrids:

Salix herbacea forms natural hybrids with S. arctica, S. argyrocarpa, S. fuscescens, and S. uva-ursi.

Salix herbacea × S. uva-ursi (S. ×peasei Fernald) was described from Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, but occurs also in northern Quebec (G. W. Argus, unpubl.). It is morphologically intermediate between the parents. Its distinctly crenulate, broadly obovate leaves are similar to those of S. herbacea, its catkins are smaller and have fewer flowers than those of S. uva-ursi but more flowers than those of S. herbacea, its leaves are sparsely glaucous abaxially, and it has stems stouter than those of S. uva-ursi.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 116. FNA vol. 7, p. 67.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Herbella
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. gooddingii, 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. 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. farriae var. walpolei, S. hastata subsp. subintegrifolia, S. walpolei
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1017. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1018. (1753)
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