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

silky willow

Habit Plants 0.03–0.15 m, (dwarf, forming clones by layering). Plants sometimes forming clones by stem fragmentation.
Stems

trailing;

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

branches (highly brittle at base), gray-brown or violet, not glaucous, tomentose to glabrescent;

branchlets red-brown, violet, or mottled yellow-brown, sparsely to densely velvety.

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 absent or rudimentary on early ones, late ones 1.2–4 mm, apex acute or acuminate;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 3.5–12(–21) mm, (sometimes 2 spherical glands distally), velvety adaxially;

largest medial blade lorate, narrowly oblong, or narrowly elliptic, (48–)54–82–100(–125) × (7–)9–16.7–25 mm, base cuneate or convex, margins flat, serrulate or crenulate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (sometimes obscured by hairs), densely short-silky, hairs straight, adaxial dull, sparsely pubescent to glabrescent;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, very densely short-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.

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.

adaxial nectary ovate to oblong, 0.3–0.8 mm;

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

anthers purple turning yellow, 0.4–0.6 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.

adaxial nectary oblong, ovate, or flask-shaped, 0.4–0.7 mm;

ovary ovoid, beak abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 6 per ovary;

styles 0.2–0.4 mm.

Capsules

4.5–5 mm.

2.5–4 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.

flowering as or just before leaves emerge; staminate stout, 13.5–40 × 4–9 mm, flowering branchlet 0–2 mm; pistillate loosely to moderately densely flowered, slender to stout, 18–43 × 5–12 mm, flowering branchlet 1–3 mm;

floral bract dark brown, black, or bicolor, 0.8–1.5 mm, apex rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix reticulata

Salix sericea

Phenology Flowering early Jun-mid Aug. Flowering early Mar-early Jun.
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, boggy shores, sandy terraces, ledges along streams, low woods, sedge meadows, acid bogs, open seepages, rocky, silty, sandy, or peaty substrates, possibly also on serpentine soils
Elevation 0-3500 m (0-11500 ft) 5-1300 m (0-4300 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
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Some specimens of Salix sericea are difficult to separate from S. petiolaris (G. W. Argus 1986). Salix sericea can be distinguished from S. petiolaris in having branches highly brittle at base, stipules on early leaves rudimentary or absent, on late leaves usually foliaceous, juvenile blades usually with white hairs, rarely some ferruginous, ovaries ovoid, beaks abruptly tapering to styles, and capsules 2.5–4 mm; S. petiolaris has branches flexible at base, stipules on all leaves absent or rudimentary, juvenile blades usually with conspicuous ferruginous hairs, ovaries pyriform, beaks gradually tapering to styles, and capsules 5–9 mm.

See 68. Salix eriocephala for comments on differences.

Hybrids:

Salix sericea forms natural hybrids with S. eriocephala and S. petiolaris. Reports of hybrids with S. humilis (C. K. Schneider 1921; M. L. Fernald 1950) are not based on convincing specimens.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 65. FNA vol. 7, p. 157.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Chamaetia Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Griseae
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. 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. 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. coactilis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1018. (1753) Marshall: Arbust Amer., 140. (1785)
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