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bearberry willow

hungry willow

Habit Plants 0.01–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal compact mats by layering. Shrubs or trees, 1.5–7 m. Stems: branches yellow, yellow-gray, or yellow-brown, not glaucous, glabrous (tomentose at nodes) or pubescent; branchlets yellow-brown or red-brown, (sometimes weakly glaucous with sparkling wax crystals), usually glabrous, sometimes pilose, pubescent, or moderately densely villous.
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 rudimentary or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, apex acute or rounded;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 3–27 mm, puberulent, pubescent, tomentose, velvety, or glabrous adaxially;

largest medial blade (sometimes hemiamphistomatous), narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, or lanceolate, 28–116 × 10–30 mm, 2.6–3.5–7 times as long as wide, base subcordate, convex, or rounded, margins flat or slightly revolute, serrate, shallowly serrulate or crenulate, apex acuminate to acute, abaxial surface glabrous, pilose, or pubescent, midribs hairy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, glabrous, pilose, sparsely long-silky, or tomentose, midribs hairy;

proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, glabrous, pilose, or villous 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 narrowly oblong, oblong, or flask-shaped, 0.8–1 mm;

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

anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, (ellipsoid), 0.5–0.7 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 0.6–0.8 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.7–2.4(–2.75) mm;

ovary pyriform or obclavate, glabrous, beak sometimes slightly bulged below styles;

ovules 12–18 per ovary;

styles 0.2–0.6 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, 0.12–0.22–0.32 mm.

Capsules

3–5 mm.

5–6 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 flowering before or just before leaves emerge, pistillate as leaves emerge; staminate slender, stout, or subglobose, 15–44 × 8–14 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–4 mm; pistillate loosely or moderately densely flowered, slender or stout, 16–74(–115 in fruit) × 7–15 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–9 mm;

floral bract dark brown or tawny, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex rounded or convex, abaxially hairy throughout or proximally, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix uva-ursi

Salix famelica

Phenology Flowering mid Jun-early Aug. Flowering mid Apr-mid Jun.
Habitat Exposed, often dry or moist, calcareous, serpentine, dioritic, and granitic rocks, boulders, gravel, sand on beaches, outcrops, in snowbeds Riparian willow thickets on silty, sandy-clay, gravelly, or bouldery banks and floodplains, sand dunes, alluvial fans, wet meadows, rich fens, prairie depressions, balsam poplar thickets
Elevation 10-1200 m (0-3900 ft) 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NH; NY; VT; NL; NS; NU; QC; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; IA; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; SD; WY; AB; MB; NT; ON; SK
[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.)

Salix famelica is a Great Plains taxon that was recognized by R. D. Dorn (1995) as S. lutea var. famelica. It is separable from the other members of sect. Cordatae mainly by its yellow-brown to gray-brown branches and contrasting red-brown branchlets. It is recognized here as a species because, although it intergrades with other taxa in the complex, it has a relatively large, allopatric distribution.

Hybrids:

Salix famelica forms natural hybrids with S. candida, S. eriocephala, S. petiolaris, and S. pseudomonticola.

Salix famelica × S. petiolaris resembles S. famelica in having foliaceous stipules on late leaves and yellow-brown branches, and S. petiolaris in having ferruginous hairs on juvenile leaves. It is intermediate in leaf shape, in having stipules rudimentary on early leaves, and in having ovaries with patches of hairs at the base.

Salix famelica × S. pseudomonticola: Saskatchewan specimens combine the characters of the parental species.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 73. FNA vol. 7, p. 121.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Cordatae
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. commutata, S. cordata, S. daphnoides, S. delnortensis, S. discolor, S. drummondiana, S. eastwoodiae, S. elaeagnos, S. eriocephala, S. euxina, S. exigua, 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. lutea var. famelica, S. eriocephala var. famelica
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813) (C. R. Ball) Argus: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 361. (2007)
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