The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

golden weeping willow, weeping willow

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

trailing;

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

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.

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.

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.

Capsules

4.5–5 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.

Salix

It

is characterized by: trees, to 12 m, stems pendulous;

branches somewhat to highly brittle at base, yellowish, yellow-green, or yellow-brown;

branchlets yellowish, yellow-green, or golden;

stipules rudimentary or foliaceous on late leaves;

petiole not glandular or with pairs or clusters of spherical glands distally or scattered throughout, short-silky adaxially;

largest medial blade amphistomatous or hemiamphistomatous, narrowly elliptic to very narrowly so, margins finely serrulate or spinulose-serrulate, abaxial surface glaucous, adaxial glaucous, sparsely long-silky to glabrescent, hairs white or white and ferruginous, adaxial surface slightly glossy;

catkins on distinct flowering branchlet 3–14 mm; staminate moderately densely flowered, slender, 23–53 × 3–9 mm; pistillate moderately densely to loosely flowered, slender to stout, 18–30 × 3–8 mm, flowering branchlet 3–14 mm; pistillate bracts persistent after flowering; staminate abaxial and adaxial nectaries distinct;

stamens 2;

anthers 0.5–0.8 mm; pistillate nectary longer than stipe;

stipe 0–0.2 mm;

ovaries gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 4 per ovary;

styles 0.15–2 mm;

capsules 1–2 mm.

2n

= 38.

Salix reticulata

Salix ×sepulcralis

Phenology Flowering early Jun-mid Aug.
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
Elevation 0-3500 m (0-11500 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; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; IA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; TN; UT; VA; WV; BC; NB; NS; ON; QC [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

The most commonly cultivated, and sometimes escaped, weeping willow with golden or yellow-green branchlets is Salix ×sepulcralis nothovar. chrysocoma (Dode) Meikle. It probably originated as S. alba var. vitellina × S. babylonica (R. D. Meikle 1984). According to F. S. Santamour Jr. and A. J. McArdle (1988), S. ×sepulcralis cv. Salamonii has a broadly pyramidal crown and is only slightly pendulous. It is not clear just how this cultivar differs from S. ×pendulina. For a discussion of the taxonomy of these and other weeping willows see J. Chmela (1983).

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 65. FNA vol. 7, p. 40.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Chamaetia Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Salix > sect. Subalbae
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. 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. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. reticulata var. gigantifolia, S. reticulata subsp. glabellicarpa, S. reticulata var. semicalva family salicaceae S. subg. salix section subalbae ×salamonii, family salicaceae S. subg. salix section subalbae ×sepulcralis nothovar. chrysocoma
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1018. (1753) Simonkai
Web links