Salix pyrifolia |
Salix cascadensis |
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balsam willow |
Cascade willow, Cascades 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). | Plants 0.03–0.1 m, forming clones by rhizomes. |
Stems | erect or trailing; branches yellow-brown or gray-brown, (sometimes weakly glaucous), glabrous; branchlets yellow-green or yellow-brown, glabrous or puberulent. |
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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. |
(marcescent); stipules absent; petiole 1.5–5 mm; largest medial blade usually amphistomatous, narrowly elliptic or elliptic, 9–26 × 3.8–7.5 mm, 2.4–4.3 times as long as wide, base cuneate, margins flat, entire, ciliate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glabrous or pilose, hairs wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous or pilose; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade glabrous or sparsely villous abaxially. |
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. |
abaxial nectary (0–)0.2–0.6 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.4–1.2 mm, nectaries distinct; filaments distinct or basally connate; anthers ellipsoid, 0.3–0.6 mm. |
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. |
adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.5–1.2 mm, longer than stipe; stipe 0–0.6 m; ovary pyriform, usually densely villous, beak abruptly tapering to or slightly bulged below styles; ovules 6–10 per ovary; styles 0.3–1 mm; stigmas slenderly cylindrical, 0.28–0.39–0.56 mm. |
Capsules | 7–8 mm. |
3.5–5 mm. |
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. |
staminate (20–50 flowers), 12.5–26.5 × 5.5–9 mm, flowering branchlet 1–11 mm; pistillate moderately densely to loosely flowered, (15–35(–43) flowers), stout or subglobose, 10–23(–30 in fruit) × 5–8 mm, flowering branchlet 2–9 mm; floral bract brown, 1.6–2.6 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially sparsely hairy or ciliate, hairs wavy or straight. |
2n | = 38. |
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Salix pyrifolia |
Salix cascadensis |
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Phenology | Flowering May-mid Jun(-mid Jul in subalpine). | Flowering early Jul-early Aug. |
Habitat | Fens, wet lake and slough margins, treed bogs | Mesic to dry rocky slopes, ridges, high subalpine and alpine tundra |
Elevation | 0-300 m (-1600 m in subalpine) (0-1000 ft (-5200 ft in subalpine)) | 2200-3900 m (7200-12800 ft) |
Distribution |
ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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CO; UT; WA; WY; BC
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Discussion | 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.) |
The morphological variability of Salix cascadensis is not well understood. Typically, it has leaves that are narrow, sharply pointed, and glaucous abaxially, catkins 15–43-flowered, dark brown floral bracts, and ovaries very densely hairy. Specimens with leaves not glaucous abaxially, catkins relatively few-flowered, and ovaries either sparsely hairy throughout, hairy only on beaks, or hairy in streaks, may be hybrids but the glabrous ovaried S. cascadensis var. thompsonii shows no obvious signs of hybridization. Hybrids: Salix cascadensis is suspected to hybridize with S. barclayi. Salix cascadensis × S. rotundifolia var. dodgeana resembles the former in its narrow, acute to acuminate leaves and the latter in leaves not glaucous abaxially, tawny floral bracts, relatively short catkins, and glabrous ovaries. The catkins are intermediate in being 6–7-flowered. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 115. | FNA vol. 7, p. 82. |
Parent taxa | Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae | Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Diplodictyae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. balsamifera, S. pyrifolia var. lanceolata | S. tenera, S. cascadensis var. thompsonii |
Name authority | Andersson: Monogr. Salicum, 162, plate 8, fig. 93. (1867) | Cockerell: Muhlenbergia 3: 9. (1907) |
Web links |