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bearberry willow

barren-ground willow, short-fruit willow, small-fruit willow

Habit Plants 0.01–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal compact mats by layering. Plants 0.2–1.5 m, not clonal.
Stems

prostrate, short-trailing;

branches red-brown, gray-brown, or yellow-brown, glabrous;

branchlets yellow-green or yellow-brown, glabrous or puberulent.

erect or decumbent;

branches gray-brown or red-brown, villous or short-silky to glabrescent;

branchlets red-brown, long-silky, villous, or woolly.

Leaves

stipules (sometimes marcescent) absent, rudimentary, or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones;

petiole (shallowly to deeply grooved adaxially), 2–6.5 mm;

largest medial blade (marcescent), amphistomatous or hypostomatous, ovate, broadly obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 4–23 × 3.5–10 mm, 1.7–3.6 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins flat, serrulate or crenulate, apex convex, acuminate, acute, or retuse, abaxial surface glaucous, usually glabrous (rarely few hairs), adaxial slightly or highly glossy, usually glabrous (rarely a few hairs);

proximal blade margins entire or serrate;

juvenile blade glabrous, pilose, or puberulent abaxially.

stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, foliaceous or rudimentary on late ones;

petiole (deeply to shallowly grooved adaxially), (0.5–)1–3(–4) mm, (usually shorter than or barely exceeding subtended bud);

largest medial blade hypostomatous, narrowly oblong, oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, narrowly oblanceolate, ovate, or obovate, base rounded, convex, cordate, or subcordate, margins flat, entire, apex rounded, acute, or convex, abaxial surface (sometimes obscured by hairs), densely villous, woolly, or long-silky, adaxial slightly glossy, pilose, villous, or long-silky to glabrescent, (hairs straight or wavy);

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade very densely long-silky abaxially.

Staminate flowers

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.4–0.9 mm;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

stamens usually 1, rarely 2;

anthers ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.4–0.7 mm.

abaxial nectary (0–)0.5–1.5 mm, adaxial nectary 0.5–1.4 mm, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths, glabrous or hairy throughout or on proximal 1/2;

anthers ellipsoid, shortly cylindrical, or globose, 0.3–0.8 mm.

Pistillate flowers

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.5–0.8 mm, shorter to longer than stipe;

stipe 0.3–1.6 mm;

ovary ovoid or pyriform, glabrous, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 4–9 per ovary;

styles 0.4–1 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or slenderly cylindrical, 0.1–0.23–0.4 mm.

abaxial nectary often present, adaxial nectary longer than stipe;

stipe 0–0.6 mm;

ovary pyriform, very densely villous, tomentose, or woolly, beak slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 2–10 per ovary;

styles connate to distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.4–1.5 mm;

stigmas broadly or slenderly cylindrical, 0.24–0.3–0.48 mm.

Capsules

3–5 mm.

3–6.5 mm.

Catkins

staminate 9–19 × 5–8 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–9 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender to subglobose, 11–47(–55 in fruit) × 6–10 mm, flowering branchlet 2–10 mm;

floral bract brown, black, tawny, light rose, or bicolor, 1.1–1.8 mm, apex rounded or acute, entire, abaxially sparsely hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

staminate 5.3–24 × 4–10 mm, flowering branchlet 0.3–24(–43) mm; pistillate (and staminate) densely flowered, globose, subglobose, or stout, 6–25 × 4–15 mm, flowering branchlet 0.3–11 mm;

floral bract tawny or greenish, 1–3 mm, apex rounded or convex, entire, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix uva-ursi

Salix brachycarpa

Phenology Flowering mid Jun-early Aug.
Habitat Exposed, often dry or moist, calcareous, serpentine, dioritic, and granitic rocks, boulders, gravel, sand on beaches, outcrops, in snowbeds
Elevation 10-1200 m (0-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NH; NY; VT; NL; NS; NU; QC; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hybrids:

Salix uva-ursi forms natural hybrids with S. herbacea.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Branchlets and largest medial blade surfaces moderately densely villous or long-silky; largest medial blades (1.5-)2.8-3(-4) times as long as wide; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm; catkins globose, subglobose, or stout.
var. brachycarpa
1. Branchlets and largest medial blade surfaces very densely woolly, villous, or long-silky; largest medial blades 1.4-2.6 times as long as wide; anthers 0.5-0.8 mm; catkins stout or subglobose (Lake Athabasca sand dunes, Saskatchewan).
var. psammophila
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 73. FNA vol. 7, p. 86.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix 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. 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. 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. 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. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Subordinate taxa
S. brachycarpa var. brachycarpa, S. brachycarpa var. psammophila
Synonyms S. ivigtutiana, S. myrsinites var. parvifolia
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813) Nuttall: N. Amer. Sylv. 1: 69. (1842)
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