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dark sandbar willow, dusky willow

bearberry willow

Habit Shrubs, 0.8–4 m. Stems: branches gray-brown or red-brown, glabrous or hairy; branchlets gray-brown to dark red-brown, glabrous, puberulent, densely long-silky, or villous to glabrescent. Plants 0.01–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal compact mats by layering.
Stems

prostrate, short-trailing;

branches red-brown, gray-brown, or yellow-brown, glabrous;

branchlets yellow-green or yellow-brown, glabrous or puberulent.

Leaves

stipules absent, rudimentary, or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones (apex acuminate);

petiole 1.5–8 mm, glabrous adaxially;

largest medial blade lorate, narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblanceolate, or linear, 30–133 × 5–20 mm, 3.4–8–15 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat, spinulose-serrulate or entire, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous or not, pilose, villous, or long-silky to glabrescent, hairs appressed or spreading, wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, villous to glabrescent;

proximal blade margins entire or serrulate;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, densely villous abaxially.

stipules (sometimes marcescent) absent, rudimentary, or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones;

petiole (shallowly to deeply grooved adaxially), 2–6.5 mm;

largest medial blade (marcescent), amphistomatous or hypostomatous, ovate, broadly obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 4–23 × 3.5–10 mm, 1.7–3.6 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins flat, serrulate or crenulate, apex convex, acuminate, acute, or retuse, abaxial surface glaucous, usually glabrous (rarely few hairs), adaxial slightly or highly glossy, usually glabrous (rarely a few hairs);

proximal blade margins entire or serrate;

juvenile blade glabrous, pilose, or puberulent abaxially.

Staminate flowers

abaxial nectary 0.3–0.9 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or flask-shaped, 0.4–1.2 mm, nectaries distinct;

filaments densely hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers 0.55–0.7–0.9 mm.

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.4–0.9 mm;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

stamens usually 1, rarely 2;

anthers ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.4–0.7 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary ovate, oblong, or flask-shaped, 0.4–1.1 mm, longer than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

stipe 0–0.7 mm;

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

ovules 13–22 per ovary;

styles 0–0.14–0.5 mm;

stigmas slenderly cylindrical or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.5 mm.

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.5–0.8 mm, shorter to longer than stipe;

stipe 0.3–1.6 mm;

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

ovules 4–9 per ovary;

styles 0.4–1 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or slenderly cylindrical, 0.1–0.23–0.4 mm.

Capsules

4–5 mm.

3–5 mm.

Catkins

staminate 18–48 × 5–13 mm, flowering branchlet 3–15 mm; pistillate moderately densely flowered, slender or stout, 22–58 × 4–9 mm, flowering branchlet 4–12 mm;

floral bract (sometimes brown), 1.3–2.8 mm, apex rounded (sometimes truncate), entire or erose, abaxially hairy mainly proximally, hairs wavy.

staminate 9–19 × 5–8 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–9 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender to subglobose, 11–47(–55 in fruit) × 6–10 mm, flowering branchlet 2–10 mm;

floral bract brown, black, tawny, light rose, or bicolor, 1.1–1.8 mm, apex rounded or acute, entire, abaxially sparsely hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix melanopsis

Salix uva-ursi

Phenology Flowering early May-mid Jul. Flowering mid Jun-early Aug.
Habitat Riparian, floodplains, stream banks, subalpine meadows, coarse-textured substrates, silt Exposed, often dry or moist, calcareous, serpentine, dioritic, and granitic rocks, boulders, gravel, sand on beaches, outcrops, in snowbeds
Elevation 600-3100 m (2000-10200 ft) 10-1200 m (0-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ME; NH; NY; VT; NL; NS; NU; QC; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix fluviatilis Nuttall, long used for a Columbia River endemic (see 22. S. columbiana), is a rejected name.

Hybrids:

Salix melanopsis forms natural hybrids with S. exigua var. exigua, S. sessilifolia, and S. sitchensis (R. D. Dorn 1998).

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

Hybrids:

Salix uva-ursi forms natural hybrids with S. herbacea.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 58. FNA vol. 7, p. 73.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Longifoliae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix
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. lucida, S. lutea, S. maccalliana, 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. sitchensis, S. sphenophylla, S. stolonifera, S. taxifolia, S. thurberi, S. tracyi, S. triandra, S. turnorii, S. tweedyi, S. tyrrellii, S. vestita, S. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. bolanderiana, S. exigua var. gracilipes, S. exigua subsp. melanopsis, S. exigua var. tenerrima, S. fluviatilis var. tenerrima, S. longifolia var. tenerrima, S. melanopsis var. bolanderiana, S. melanopsis var. gracilipes, S. melanopsis var. kronkheitii, S. melanopsis var. tenerrima, S. parksiana, S. sessilifolia var. vancouverensis, S. tenerrima S. ivigtutiana, S. myrsinites var. parvifolia
Name authority Nuttall: N. Amer. Sylv. 1: 78, plate 21. (1842) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813)
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