Salix humboldtiana |
Salix pyrifolia |
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Humboldt's willow |
balsam willow |
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Habit | Plants 0.4–4 m. Stems: branches red-brown, not glaucous, (highly glossy), glabrous; branchlets red-brown, yellow-brown, or yellowish, (not or weakly glaucous), glabrous, (inner membranaceous bud-scale layer free, not separating from outer layer). | |
Leaves | stipules (early deciduous), foliaceous or rudimentary on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, apex acute, convex, or rounded; petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 7–20 mm, glabrous or sparsely velvety adaxially; largest medial blade narrowly oblong, oblong, elliptic, or broadly elliptic, 30–103 × 19–40 mm, 1.5–3.4 times as long as wide, base cordate, subcordate, rounded or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, serrulate, irregularly serrate, crenate, or sinuate, apex acute or acuminate, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial slightly or highly glossy, glabrous; proximal blade margins serrulate or entire; juvenile blade translucent, glabrous or pilose abaxially, hairs white. |
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Staminate flowers | adaxial nectary square or ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm; filaments distinct, glabrous or sparsely hairy basally; anthers yellow, (ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical), 0.5–0.8 mm. |
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Pistillate flowers | adaxial nectary narrowly ovate or square, 0.3–0.7 mm, shorter than stipe; stipe 1.8–3.5 mm; ovary obclavate, glabrous, beak slightly bulged below styles; ovules 10–19 per ovary; styles 0.4–0.5 mm; stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.23–0.32 mm. |
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Capsules | 7–8 mm. |
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Salix | humboldtiana Willdenow: Humboldt willow is not known to occur in the flora area. |
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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. |
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Catkins | staminate flowering just before leaves emerge, pistillate flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout or slender, 18.5–63 × 7–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–5 mm; pistillate loosely flowered, stout or slender, 25–85 × 8–20 mm, flowering branchlet 2–22 mm; floral bract tawny, 1–2.4 mm, apex acute or convex, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy, hairs straight or wavy. |
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2n | = 38. |
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Salix humboldtiana |
Salix pyrifolia |
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Phenology | Flowering May-mid Jun(-mid Jul in subalpine). | |
Habitat | Fens, wet lake and slough margins, treed bogs | |
Elevation | 0-300 m (-1600 m in subalpine) (0-1000 ft (-5200 ft in subalpine)) | |
Distribution |
Mexico to central Chile |
ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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Discussion | 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.) |
Salix pyrifolia is characterized by juvenile leaves membranaceous and translucent, and largest medial leaves subcoriaceous, with abaxial surfaces reticulate, and with bases often cordate. Buds and foliage are reported to have a balsam-like fragrance. Hybrids: Salix pyrifolia forms natural hybrids with S. brachycarpa var. psammophila. Hybrids with S. discolor have been reported (C. K. Schneider 1921; M. L. Fernald 1950) but no convincing specimens have been seen. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 34. | FNA vol. 7, p. 115. |
Parent taxa | Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Protitea > sect. Humboldtianae | Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. balsamifera, S. pyrifolia var. lanceolata | |
Name authority | Willdenow | Andersson: Monogr. Salicum, 162, plate 8, fig. 93. (1867) |
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