Salix scouleriana
Salix drummondiana
mountain willow, Scouler willow, Scouler's willow
Drummond's willow
branches (highly to ± brittle at base), yellow-brown or red-brown, usually strongly glaucous, (slightly glossy), glabrous or glabrescent;
branchlets red-brown or mottled yellow-brown, (strongly to not glaucous), glabrous, puberulent, pilose, or velvety, (buds caprea-type or intermediate).
stipules absent, rudimentary, or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, (1–16 mm), apex acute or acuminate;
petiole convex to flat adaxially, 2–13 mm, velvety or villous adaxially;
largest medial blade usually oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly elliptic, elliptic or obovate, 29–100 × 9–37 mm, 1.7–3.9 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins strongly to slightly revolute or flat, entire, remotely serrate, crenate, or sinuate, (glands submarginal or epilaminal), apex acuminate, convex, or rounded, abaxial surface glaucous, sparsely to densely short- to long-silky or woolly, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), wavy or straight, adaxial slightly glossy, pilose or moderately densely short-silky, midrib velutinous or villous, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous);
proximal blade margins entire, serrulate, or crenulate;
juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, sparsely to densely villous, short- or long-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.
stipules usually rudimentary or absent, or foliaceous, then small and ovate or slender, apex acute;
petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 2–12 mm, villous or velvety adaxially;
largest medial blade lorate, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 40–85 × 9–26 mm, 3–6.2 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins slightly revolute, entire, or shallowly crenate to sinuate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (obscured by hairs), densely short- to long-silky, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy or dull, sparsely short-silky to glabrescent, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous);
proximal blade margins entire;
juvenile blade green, very densely short-silky abaxially (sparsely so adaxially), hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous.
adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.4–0.9 mm;
filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy on proximal 1/2;
anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid to shortly cylindrical, 0.7–1.2 mm.
adaxial nectary oblong, 0.3–0.6 mm;
filaments distinct, glabrous;
anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid to shortly cylindrical, 0.4–0.6 mm.
adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.2–0.8 mm, shorter than stipe;
stipe 0.8–2.3 mm;
ovary pyriform or obclavate, densely long-silky, beak slightly bulged below styles;
ovules 10–18 per ovary;
styles 0.2–0.6 mm;
stigmas slenderly cylindrical, 0.4–0.82–1.04 mm.
adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or ovate, 0.4–1 mm, shorter to longer than stipe;
stipe 0.3–2 mm;
ovary pyriform, short-silky, beak gradually tapering to styles;
ovules 6–17 per ovary;
styles 0.5–1.5 mm;
stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with pointed tip, or slenderly to broadly cylindrical, 0.32–0.43–1 mm.
4.5–11 mm.
2.5–6 mm.
flowering before leaves emerge; staminate stout or subglobose, 18–40.5 × 8–22 mm, flowering branchlet 0–4 mm; pistillate very densely flowered, slender or stout, 18–60(–90 in fruit) × 10–22 mm, flowering branchlet 0–8 mm;
floral bract brown, black, or bicolor, 1.5–4.5 mm, apex rounded or acute, abaxially hairy, hairs straight.
flowering before leaves emerge; staminate stout, 19–40 × 8–20 mm, flowering branchlet 0 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender or stout, 22–87(–105 in fruit) × 8–18 mm, flowering branchlet 0–3(–6) mm;
floral bract brown or black, 1.2–2.8 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight.
= 76.
= 38, 57, 76.
Salix scouleriana
Salix drummondiana
Western Salix scouleriana and eastern S. humilis are closely related and are sometimes difficult to separate. Although there is an apparent range disjunction between them in western Manitoba, it may be a collecting gap. In general, S. scouleriana differs from S. humilis in being a taller shrub, sometimes even tree-like, with broader leaves and longer catkins, floral bracts, stigmas, and styles, but these quantitative characteristics all overlap. The apparent difference in anther length (S. scouleriana 0.7–1.2 mm; S. humilis 0.4–0.6 mm) may be correlated with a difference in chromosome number. Salix scouleriana is tetraploid (Y. Suda and G. W. Argus 1968); S. humilis has been reported to be both diploid (Suda and Argus; L. Zsuffa and Y. Raj, unpubl.) and tetraploid (R. D. Dorn 1976). The latter count was from the same population as the one by Suda and Argus. Further chromosome counts are indicated.
See 77. Salix hookeriana for comparative descriptions.
Hybrids:
Salix scouleriana forms natural hybrids with S. hookeriana, S. planifolia, and S. pulchra.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Western American Salix drummondiana and eastern S. pellita have the same close relationship as do S. scouleriana and S. humilis. In Saskatchewan, where their ranges overlap, separation is difficult. The characters shown in the comparison below often overlap but they will usually serve to separate the two. A useful diagnostic vegetative character is the frequent presence in S. pellita of epilaminal glands, which are borne on adaxial leaf surfaces well in from margins.
Salix drummondiana is distinguished from S. pellita by having stipules on early leaves absent or rudimentary, sometimes foliaceous, staminate nectaries 0.3–0.6 mm, largest medial blade margins with submarginal glands, surfaces glabrescent, short-silky, dull or slightly glossy adaxially, petioles villous or velvety adaxially, and juvenile blades short-silky; S. pellita has stipules on early leaves absent or rudimentary, staminate nectaries 0.6–1 mm, largest medial blade margins with epilaminal or submarginal glands, surfaces glabrous, glabrescent, pubescent, or villous, and slightly or highly glossy adaxially, petioles glabrous or pubescent adaxially, and juvenile blades glabrous, glabrescent, pubescent, or tomentose.
Salix drummondiana is distinguished from the similar, but unrelated, S. sitchensis by having branches often strongly glaucous, branchlets sparsely hairy, largest medial blades lorate, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or oblanceolate, usually narrower, 3–6.2 times as long as wide, margins slightly revolute, and surfaces with white hairs, sometimes also ferruginous; S. sitchensis has branches not glaucous or weakly so, branchlets usually moderately to very densely hairy, largest medial blades elliptic, narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate, or obovate, usually slightly broader, 2.1–3.1–4 times as long as wide, margins strongly revolute, and surfaces with white hairs.
Vegetative specimens of Salix drummondiana are distinguished from S. geyeriana by having largest medial blade margins revolute, surfaces usually densely short-silky adaxially, and midribs glabrous; S. geyeriana has largest medial blade margins flat, surfaces usually moderately densely long-silky adaxially, and midribs silky or glabrous.
Salix drummondiana and S. lemmonii can be separated on the basis of variable characters including: branch glaucousness, leaf size, blade hair density and color, catkin size and shape, anther length, petiole length, and chromosome number. Hybridization is rare but may occur in Lassen and Sierra counties, California.
The diploid and tetraploid chromosome numbers for Salix drummondiana have been reported from Wyoming (R. D. Dorn 1975b) and the triploid count from a disjunct population in the Lake Athabasca sand dunes, northern Saskatchewan (Y. Suda and G. W. Argus 1968).
Hybrids:
Salix drummondiana forms natural hybrids with S. alaxensis var. alaxensis, S. irrorata, and S. planifolia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, 
SW CO Wildflowers 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
- Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, SW CO Wildflowers
- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
