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net-leaf willow, net-vein willow, netted willow

barren-ground willow, snow willow

Habit Plants 0.03–0.15 m, (dwarf, forming clones by layering). Plants 0.3–1.5(–3) m, not clonal.
Stems

trailing;

branches and branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, glabrous.

erect, decumbent, or trailing;

branches gray-brown, yellow-brown, or red-brown, pilose, villous, or long-silky to glabrescent;

branchlets violet, red-brown, or yellow-brown, pilose, densely villous, long-silky, or tomentose.

Leaves

stipules absent or rudimentary;

petiole 3–46 mm, (sometimes glandular distally);

largest medial blade amphistomatous or hemiamphistomatous, (2 pairs of secondary veins arising at or close to base, arcing toward apex), oblong, broadly oblong, broadly elliptic, subcircular, or circular, (8–)12–66 × 8–50 mm, 1–1.5 times as long as wide, base convex, rounded, subcordate, or cordate, margins slightly revolute, entire or crenulate (glandular-dotted), apex rounded, convex, or retuse, abaxial surface sparsely long-silky to glabrescent, adaxial (venation deeply impressed), slightly or highly glossy, glabrous or pilose;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade glabrous.

stipules (sometimes marcescent), foliaceous, (sometimes obscured by hairs);

petiole (shallowly grooved adaxially), 2–5.5 mm, (usually shorter than or barely exceeding subtended bud, villous adaxially);

largest medial blade hypostomatous or amphistomatous, narrowly oblong, narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, or obovate, 13–64 × 6–22 mm, 1.6–5.5 times as long as wide, base convex, margins slightly revolute, entire (obscured by hairs), apex acuminate or acute, abaxial surface densely villous or woolly to pilose, hairs straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, moderately densely to sparsely villous;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade abaxially densely long-silky.

Staminate flowers

abaxial nectary 0.5–0.9 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.5–1 mm, nectaries connate and cup-shaped;

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

anthers ellipsoid or globose, 0.3–0.4 mm.

abaxial nectary 0.5–1.2 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong to ovate or flask-shaped, 0.5–1.5 mm, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

filaments distinct, glabrous, or sparsely hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers ellipsoid or globose, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Pistillate flowers

abaxial nectary (0–)0.3–0.5 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, 0.5–1 mm, equal to or longer than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

stipe 0–0.8 mm;

ovary pyriform or ovoid, short-silky, hairs flattened, beak abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 8–18 per ovary;

styles connate to distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.2–0.3 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, broadly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.26–0.36 mm.

abaxial nectary rarely present, 0.7 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, ovoid, or flask-shaped, 0.5–2 mm, longer than stipe;

stipe 0–0.5 mm;

ovary pyriform, very densely villous or long-silky, beak slightly bulged below or abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 8–20 per ovary;

styles connate to almost distinct, 0.2–0.8 mm;

stigmas slenderly to broadly cylindrical, 0.2–0.36–0.6 mm.

Capsules

4.5–5 mm.

4–6 mm.

Catkins

staminate 11–54 × 4–9 mm, flowering branchlet 2–28 mm; pistillate densely flowered (more than 6 flowers), slender or stout, 11–79 × 3–8 mm, flowering branchlet 2–37 mm;

floral bract tawny, 0.8–1.8 mm, apex rounded to retuse, entire, abaxially glabrous.

staminate 12–42 × 4–14 mm, flowering branchlet 0–20 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender, stout, or subglobose, 16–69 × 4–13 mm, flowering branchlet 4–30 mm;

floral bract tawny, brown, or black, 1.2–3.2 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy, hairs wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix reticulata

Salix niphoclada

Phenology Flowering early Jun-mid Aug. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Arctic-alpine, polygonal tundra, dry tussock tundra, partially stabilized sand dunes, sedge meadows, Dryas tundra on alpine cliffs and ledges, snowbeds, stabilized talus slopes, white spruce woods, treed bogs Wet to moderately well-drained calcareous, gravelly or sandy floodplains, terraces, eskers, drumlins, fine, silty loess deposits, dry to mesic stony alpine slopes and saline flats, limestone talus, sand blowouts, plains
Elevation 0-3500 m (0-11500 ft) 10-2300 m (0-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; AB; BC; MB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Europe; Asia (Chukotka, Russian Far East, arctic, e Siberia, Spitzbergen)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Russia)
Discussion

The reported occurrence of Salix reticulata in Colorado (R. D. Dorn 1997) needs further study.

Salix reticulata occurs in Europe in northern Scotland, northern Scandinavia, the Alps and other European mountains, and arctic Eurasia. The species is circumpolar except for Greenland and Iceland.

A population of Salix reticulata on the Queen Charlotte Islands, with consistently glabrous ovaries, was named subsp. glabellicarpa. Some southeastern Alaska populations have plants with glabrous, partially hairy, and completely short-silky ovaries growing together. The possibility that subsp. glabellicarpa may be a hybrid or a simple mutation needs study.

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

Salix niphoclada was treated as S. brachycarpa subsp. niphoclada (G. W. Argus 1965, 1973) because where the ranges of the two taxa overlap in northern British Columbia they appeared to intergrade. Species rank is used here, however, because there is no evidence to suggest that intergradation is common or extends beyond the small area of overlap.

Salix brachycarpa var. fullertonensis, which mainly occurs in southern Nunavut and the western side of Hudson Bay, is characterized by smaller leaves and catkins, broad, reddish floral bracts, and more sparsely hairy branchlets (G. W. Argus 1965). Its intergradation with S. niphoclada is so extensive that it is not recognized here as a separate taxon.

Hybrids:

Salix niphoclada forms natural hybrids with S. glauca var. acutifolia and S. setchelliana.

Salix niphoclada × S. setchelliana is a putative hybrid from Sheep Mountain, Kluane, Yukon, at 1180 m. It resembles S. niphoclada in leaf shape and indumentum, stigmas 0.6 mm, floral bracts oblong, 1.8 mm, and in the shape and length of pistillate catkins, but it has the glabrous, reddish ovaries of S. setchelliana. Both putative parents occur in the area.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 65. FNA vol. 7, p. 88.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Chamaetia Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Glaucae
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. 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. 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. 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. reticulata var. gigantifolia, S. reticulata subsp. glabellicarpa, S. reticulata var. semicalva S. brachycarpa subsp. fullertonensis, S. brachycarpa var. fullertonensis, S. brachycarpa var. mexiae, S. brachycarpa subsp. niphoclada, S. fullertonensis, S. glauca var. niphoclada, S. muriei, S. niphoclada var. fullertonensis, S. niphoclada var. mexiae, S. niphoclada var. muriei
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1018. (1753) Rydberg: Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 272. (1899)
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