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bearberry willow

under-green willow, variable willow

Habit Plants 0.01–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal compact mats by layering. Plants 0.2–3 m. Stems: branches yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, not or weakly glaucous, pilose; branchlets yellow-green, yellow-brown, or red-brown, pilose to densely villous or woolly.
Stems

prostrate, short-trailing;

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

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

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 (sometimes marcescent), foliaceous, apex rounded or acute;

petiole shallowly grooved or convex to flat adaxially, 1.5–11 mm, pilose or tomentose adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), narrowly oblong, oblong, elliptic, or broadly elliptic, 10–100 × 5–44 mm, 1.5–3.4 times as long as wide, base convex, rounded, subcordate, or cordate, margins flat or slightly revolute, entire or serrulate, apex acuminate, acute, or convex, abaxial surface not glaucous, moderately densely tomentose, villous, or pilose to glabrescent, hairs wavy or straight, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, pilose or moderately densely villous to glabrescent;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade yellowish green, sparsely to densely long-silky-tomentose abaxially, hairs white.

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.

adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.2–0.8 mm;

filaments distinct, glabrous;

anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, 0.4–1 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.

adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.3–0.7 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.3–2 mm;

ovary pyriform or obclavate, glabrous, beak gradually to abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 10–28 per ovary;

styles 0.5–1.5 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, broadly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.16–0.34–0.4 mm.

Capsules

3–5 mm.

3.5–8 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.

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate stout or subglobose, 15–37 × 8–20 mm, flowering branchlet 2–33 mm; pistillate densely or moderately densely flowered, slender, stout, or subglobose, 17–60 × 7–15 mm, flowering branchlet 3–15(–30) mm;

floral bract tawny, brown, or bicolor, 1–3 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

= 38.

Salix uva-ursi

Salix commutata

Phenology Flowering mid Jun-early Aug. Flowering late May-mid Aug.
Habitat Exposed, often dry or moist, calcareous, serpentine, dioritic, and granitic rocks, boulders, gravel, sand on beaches, outcrops, in snowbeds Rocky alpine and subalpine slopes, glacial moraine, open spruce woods, streamsides, gravel benches along streams, wet fens
Elevation 10-1200 m (0-3900 ft) 0-2400 m (0-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NH; NY; VT; NL; NS; NU; QC; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC; NT; 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.)

The rare occurrence in Salix commutata of plants with ovary indumentum composed of divergent, straight or wavy, flattened hairs may be hybrids with 53. S. eastwoodiae (see for discussion and comparison).

Hybrids:

Salix commutata forms natural hybrids with S. barclayi, S. barrattiana, and S. eastwoodiae.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 73. FNA vol. 7, p. 105.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Hastatae
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. brachycarpa, S. breweri, S. calcicola, S. candida, S. caprea, S. caroliniana, S. cascadensis, S. chamissonis, S. chlorolepis, S. cinerea, S. columbiana, 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
Synonyms S. ivigtutiana, S. myrsinites var. parvifolia S. commutata var. denudata, S. commutata subsp. mixta, S. commutata var. puberula, S. commutata var. sericea
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813) Bebb: Bot. Gaz. 13: 110. (1888)
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