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Pacific willow (var. lasiandra), shining willow, whiplash willow (ssp. caudata)

Coulter willow, Sitka willow

Habit Shrubs or trees, 4–6 m. Stems: branches flexible to highly brittle at base, yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, slightly to highly glossy, glabrous or villous to glabrescent; branchlets yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, glabrous, pilose, densely villous, or velvety, hairs spreading, straight, wavy, or crinkled. Shrubs or trees, 1–8 m, (sometimes forming clones by stem fragmentation).
Stems

branches (sometimes highly brittle at base), yellow-brown or red-brown, not glaucous, glabrous or pilose;

branchlets yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, densely short-silky, velvety, or villous, (buds caprea-type or intermediate).

Leaves

stipules foliaceous, apex convex to rounded;

petiole shallowly to deeply grooved adaxially, 5–13 mm, with clusters of spherical or foliaceous glands distally, glabrous, pilose, or densely villous adaxially;

largest medial blade usually hypostomatous or hemiamphistomatous, rarely amphistomatous, lorate, very narrowly elliptic, narrowly elliptic, or lanceolate, (24–)55–133 × 11–43 mm, 2.5–6.2 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins flat, serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate, abaxial surface usually not glaucous (rarely so), glabrous, pilose, or moderately densely villous or long-silky, hairs appressed or spreading, white and/or ferruginous, straight or wavy, (coarse, caducous), adaxial (secondary veins flat or protruding), slightly or highly glossy, glabrous, pilose, or long-silky, hairs white and/or ferruginous;

proximal blade margins entire and glandular-dotted, or serrulate or crenulate;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, glabrous or densely villous or long-silky abaxially, hairs white and ferruginous.

stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, rudimentary or foliaceous on late ones, apex acute;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 3–13(–16) mm, tomentose or velvety adaxially;

largest medial blade elliptic, narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate, or obovate, 31–70–120 × 17–48 mm, 2.1–3.1–4 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins slightly revolute or flat, strongly revolute proximally, entire, irregularly serrate, or sinuate, (glands submarginal or epilaminal), apex acuminate or convex, abaxial surface not evidently glaucous, (obscured by hairs), densely short-silky, woolly, or silky-woolly, hairs straight, wavy, or curved, adaxial slightly glossy (sometimes dull and glaucous), pilose or moderately densely short-silky;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade green, densely long-silky or woolly abaxially, (sparsely silky-tomentose adaxially), hairs white.

Staminate flowers

abaxial nectary 0.5–1.1 mm, adaxial nectary square or ovate, 0.3–0.9 mm, nectaries connate and cup-shaped;

stamens 3–6;

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

anthers ellipsoid, shortly cylindrical, obovoid, or globose, 0.6–0.8 mm.

adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, ovate, or flask-shaped, 0.4–1.3 mm;

stamens 1;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

anthers purple turning yellow, shortly cylindrical, 0.5–0.7 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary square or ovate, (swollen), 0.2–0.5 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.5–2 mm;

ovary pyriform, beak slightly bulged below or gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 18–24 per ovary;

styles connate or distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.5–0.8 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, broadly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.24–0.31–0.42 mm.

adaxial nectary square, ovate, or flask-shaped, 0.5–0.9 mm, shorter to longer than stipe;

stipe 0.4–1.4 mm;

ovary ovoid to pyriform, long- or short-silky or villous, beak sometimes slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 14–20 per ovary;

styles 0.4–0.8 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or broadly cylindrical, 0.16–0.28–0.4 mm.

Capsules

5–7 mm.

3.5–5.6 mm.

Catkins

staminate 19–69 × 4–14 mm, flowering branchlet 5–23 mm; pistillate (fruiting in summer), moderately densely to loosely flowered, slender to stout, 23–56(–70 in fruit) × 8–12 mm, flowering branchlet 8–25 mm;

floral bract 1.5–3 mm, apex convex or rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely hairy throughout or proximally, hairs wavy.

flowering just before or as leaves emerge; staminate slender or stout, (17–)22–54 × 8–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–9 mm; pistillate moderately densely flowered, slender to stout, 25–73(–115 in fruit) × 5–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–20 mm;

floral bract tawny to dark brown, 1.4–2.4 mm, apex rounded or acute, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 76.

= 38.

Salix lucida

Salix sitchensis

Phenology Flowering early May-mid Jul. Flowering early Apr-mid Jun (Mar in California).
Habitat Sandy or gravelly floodplains, lake margins, sedge meadows, vernal pools, alvars, open fens, marl bogs, treed bogs Tidal swamps and marshes, coastal fog belts and headlands, sand dunes, springs, gravelly streambeds and deltas, glacial moraines, avalanche tracks, dry canyons, clearings and edges of forests, shade tolerant
Elevation 0-600 m (0-2000 ft) 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SD; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The Virginia plants of Salix lucida are introduced (G. W. Argus 1986).

The Salix lucida complex is a group of three weakly delimited taxa, S. lasiandra var. caudata, S. lasiandra var. lasiandra, and S. lucida. The morphological characters used to separate them (leaves amphistomatous or hypostomatous and blades glaucous abaxially or not) are usually geographically correlated, but there are exceptions. G. W. Argus (1986b) proposed, based on principal components analysis of morphological data, to treat them as a single species consisting of three subspecies. The geographic overlap of the northeastern S. lucida and the western S. lasiandra is a relatively small area in central Saskatchewan. Evidence of intergradation was based on cultivation of a plant that, in the wild, had leaves that were not glaucous abaxially but were glaucous in cultivation. It seems best to treat them as two species, S. lucida and S. lasiandra, the latter with two varieties, var. lasiandra and var. caudata.

Hybrids:

Salix lucida forms natural hybrids with S. alba and S. nigra. Hybrids with S. serissima have been reported (M. L. Fernald 1950) but no convincing specimens have been seen. Attempts to hybridize S. lucida with members of subg. Protitea (S. amygdaloides), subg. Longifoliae (S. interior), and subg. Vetrix (S. discolor, S. eriocephala, and S. petiolaris) were unsuccessful (A. Mosseler 1990).

Salix lucida × S. nigra (S. ×schneideri B. Boivin) seems to be a rare intersubgeneric hybrid between tetraploid S. lucida and diploid S. nigra. It is known only from the type specimen, an infertile plant, growing with both parents. It resembles S. lucida in bud-scale margins connate, in petiolar glands stalked or foliaceous, and in leaf shape, and S. nigra in stipules rudimentary on proximal leaves and sometimes even on early leaves, stipule apex acute, pistillate catkins relatively long and slender, and styles relatively short.

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

Ovary hairiness in some Salix sitchensis populations varies from uniformly hairy to glabrescent, with intermediates with patchy or streaky hairiness. All three variations can occur together and do not seem to indicate hybridization.

Both Salix sitchensis and S. scouleriana have similar variants with leaves having very densely curly hairs on abaxial surfaces [S. sitchensis forma coulteri (Andersson) Jepson and S. scouleriana forma poikila (C. K. Schneider) C. K. Schneider]. Plants resembling S. drummondiana but with similar indumentum probably are hybrids with S. alaxensis (see 84. S. drummondiana). The coulteri taxon resembles S. delnortensis in having stipules with adaxial surfaces glabrous and very sparsely glandular toward the base, densely hairy abaxially, and with gland-dotted margins; its branchlets have wavy to crinkly hairs. The possible hybrid origin of S. delnortensis needs study (R. D. Dorn 2000).

Hybrids:

Salix sitchensis forms natural hybrids with S. alaxensis var. longistylis and S. melanopsis. Hybridization with S. geyeriana reported by J. K. Henry (1915) is not based on convincing specimens.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 46. FNA vol. 7, p. 159.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Salix > sect. Salicaster Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Sitchenses
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Pleiarina lucida, S. lucida var. angustifolia, S. lucida var. intonsa S. coulteri, S. sitchensis var. parvifolia
Name authority Muhlenberg: Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Neue Schriften 4: 239, plate 6, fig. 7. (1803) Sanson ex Bongard: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 2: 162. (1832)
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