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gray-leaf Sierra willow, gray-leafed Sierra willow, Sierra willow

peach-leaf willow

Habit Plants 0.5–2 m. Stems: branches dark red-brown or yellow-brown, not to strongly glaucous, glabrous; branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, (not or weakly glaucous), pilose or pubescent, hairs straight, wavy, or geniculate, (inner membranaceous bud-scale layer free, separating from outer layer). Trees, 4–20 m. Stems: branches flexible to ± brittle at base, yellow to gray-brown, glabrous; branchlets yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, glabrous.
Leaves

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

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 4–9 mm, pilose adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), lorate, narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, or oblanceolate, 35–95 × 7.5–20 mm, 3.4–7.1 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, entire, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (sometimes obscured by hairs), sparsely to moderately densely long- to short-silky or pubescent, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight or wavy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, sparsely or moderately densely pubescent or long- to short-silky, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous);

proximal blade margins entire or serrulate;

juvenile blade densely long-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.

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

petiole (margins covering groove, not glandular or with spherical glands distally), 7–21 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), very narrowly elliptic, elliptic, lanceolate, or lorate, 55–130 × 24–37 mm, 2.8–6 times as long as wide, base convex, cuneate, or cordate, margins serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial dull, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along midrib;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade glabrous or pubescent abaxially, hairs white and/or ferruginous.

Staminate flowers

adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.6–1.1 mm;

filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths, hairy basally;

anthers purple turning yellow, 0.6–1 mm.

abaxial nectary 0.2–0.7 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong to square, 0.3–0.8 mm, nectaries distinct;

stamens 3–7;

filaments hairy on proximal 1/2 or basally;

anthers 0.5–0.6 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary oblong or flask-shaped, 0.7–1.3 mm, shorter than or equal to stipe;

stipe 0.8–2 mm;

ovary obclavate or pyriform, short-silky-villous, beak gradually tapering to or slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 15–16 per ovary;

styles 0.6–1 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded or pointed tip, or broadly cylindrical, 0.24–0.32–0.44 mm.

adaxial nectary square, 0.1–0.6 mm;

stipe 1.4–3.2 mm;

ovary pyriform, beak slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 16–18 per ovary;

styles 0.2–0.4 mm;

stigmas 0.24–0.31–0.4 mm.

Capsules

5–10 mm.

3–7 mm.

Catkins

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout, 15.5–34 × 7–14 mm, flowering branchlet 1–8 mm; pistillate moderately densely flowered, stout, 20–55(–65 in fruit) × 11–13 mm, flowering branchlet 2–15 mm;

floral bract dark brown or bicolor, 1.2–2.5 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

staminate 23–80 × 5–12 mm, flowering branchlet 3–28 mm; pistillate 41–110(–127 in fruit) × 8–16 mm, flowering branchlet 17–35 mm;

floral bract 1.5–2.8 mm, apex acute to rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy proximally, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering.

2n

= 38.

Salix orestera

Salix amygdaloides

Phenology Flowering late May-late Aug. Flowering early Apr–Jun.
Habitat Subalpine meadows, slopes, lakes, streams, granite substrates Moist to mesic floodplains, shores of lakes on sandy, silty, or gravelly substrates, marshes, wet sand dune slacks
Elevation 2100-4000 m (6900-13100 ft) 60-2400 m (200-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix orestera is so similar to S. glauca var. villosa that it is sometimes included in S. glauca. It is phenetically most similar to S. eastwoodiae and S. lemmonii (G. W. Argus 1997), and the possibility that it is a hybrid or an alloploid involving those species needs study.

Salix orestera can be distinguished from S. glauca var. villosa in having largest medial blades usually narrower, 3.4–7.1 times as long as wide, abaxial surfaces distinctly silky with appressed hairs pointing toward apex, hairs sometimes ferruginous, secondary veins raised abaxially and adaxially, branches often strongly glaucous, and staminate flowers without abaxial nectaries; S. glauca var. villosa has largest medial blades usually broader, 2.2–3.9 times as long as wide, abaxial surfaces usually glabrescent or, if hairy, hairs unkempt, slightly spreading, hairs always white, secondary veins raised abaxially, flat or impressed adaxially, branches not glaucous, staminate flowers often with abaxial nectaries.

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

Presence of Salix amygdaloides in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont has not been verified; its occurrence in those New England states was reported by H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist (1991), and by M. L. Fernald (1950).

Hybrids:

Salix amygdaloides forms natural hybrids with S. gooddingii and S. nigra. Hybrids with S. caroliniana (N. M. Glatfelter 1898) and S. eriocephala (M. L. Fernald 1950) have been reported; no convincing specimens have been seen. Controlled pollination between S. amygdaloides and S. eriocephala, S. interior, and S. petiolaris set no seed; controlled pollination with S. lucida produced a few seeds; some seedlings suffered necrosis in the cotyledon stage (A. Mosseler 1990).

Salix amygdaloides × S. gooddingii (S. ×wrightii Andersson): This hybrid occurs throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and New Mexico (C. K. Schneider 1919; C. R. Ball 1961), and at Happy and Rio Frio, Texas, and Virgil Run, Arizona. The leaves are somewhat glaucous abaxially, as in S. amygdaloides, but they are linear to narrowly elliptic and branchlets are sparsely pubescent as in S. gooddingii.

Salix amygdaloides × S. nigra (S. ×glatfelteri C. K. Schneider) resembles S. amygdaloides in leaves somewhat glaucous abaxially, but usually linear or narrowly elliptic, as in S. nigra. The stipules are not as prominent as in S. nigra but are foliaceous on late leaves; it should be expected wherever the ranges of the two species overlap. The hybrid is common in Missouri, where N. M. Glatfelter (1894) estimated that ca. 40% of the populations were hybrids, and in Illinois (R. H. Mohlenbrock 1980; G. Wilhelm, pers. comm.). Putative hybrids occur also in Ontario. Narrow leaves are typical of juvenile plants of S. amygdaloides but even at that stage they tend to be broadest at the midpoint or toward the base rather than in a midzone as in S. nigra.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 108. FNA vol. 7, p. 37.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Protitea > sect. Humboldtianae
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. melanopsis, S. monochroma, S. monticola, S. myricoides, S. myrsinifolia, S. myrtillifolia, S. nigra, S. niphoclada, S. nivalis, S. nummularia, 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. 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. uva-ursi, S. vestita, S. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. commutata var. rubicunda, S. glauca subsp. orestera, S. glauca var. orestera
Name authority C. K. Schneider: J. Arnold Arbor. 1: 164. (1920) Andersson: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 15: 114. (1858)
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