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bearberry willow

Maccalla's willow, mccalla's willow

Habit Plants 0.01–0.05 m, (dwarf), forming clonal compact mats by layering.
Stems

prostrate, short-trailing;

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

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

branches dark red-brown, slightly or highly glossy, glabrous;

branchlets red-brown or yellow-brown, puberulent to glabrescent, hairs wavy, curved, straight, or geniculate.

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;

petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 4–15 mm, pilose or pubescent adaxially;

largest medial blade lorate or narrowly oblong, 40–85 × 8–25 mm, 2.9–4.8(–5.7) times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins flat, entire, serrulate, or crenate, apex acute to sometimes acuminate, abaxial surface (pale), glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs white and ferruginous, straight, relatively short and stiff, adaxial highly glossy, glabrous, puberulent, or sparsely tomentose, hairs white and ferruginous;

proximal blade margins serrulate;

juvenile blade reddish.

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–)0.6–0.9 mm, adaxial nectary oblong or narrowly oblong, 0.5–1 mm, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

filaments distinct, hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers (purple turning yellow), ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical.

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 present), adaxial nectary oblong, 0.4–1 mm, (nectaries distinct);

ovary pyriform;

ovules 12–16 per ovary;

styles connate or distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.8–1.2 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or slenderly cylindrical, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Capsules

3–5 mm.

7–11 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 (stout or subglobose), 15.5–42 × 9–16 mm, flowering branchlet 1.5–11 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender, stout, or subglobose, 25–50 × 10–20 mm, flowering branchlet 3–12 mm;

floral bract 1.6–3.6 mm, apex rounded to truncate, entire, abaxially hairy throughout or proximally, hairs white and ferruginous, wavy.

2n

= 38.

= ca. 190, ca. 228.

Salix uva-ursi

Salix maccalliana

Phenology Flowering mid Jun-early Aug. Flowering early May-early Jul.
Habitat Exposed, often dry or moist, calcareous, serpentine, dioritic, and granitic rocks, boulders, gravel, sand on beaches, outcrops, in snowbeds Sedge meadows, shrubby fens, marly or bouldery lakeshores, string bogs, treed bogs, Calamagrostis grasslands
Elevation 10-1200 m (0-3900 ft) 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NH; NY; VT; NL; NS; NU; QC; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MN; ND; WA; AB; BC; MB; NT; 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.)

The decaploid to dodecaploid chromosome number for Salix maccalliana, highest in the genus, suggests a complex origin. Relationships with subg. Chamaetia and subg. Salix were suggested by Rowlee and by H. M. Raup (1959). Staminate flowers with abaxial nectaries, tawny and persistent bracts, and villous ovaries suggest a link with S. glauca; leaves with coarse, ferruginous hairs and serrate margins suggest S. lucida (Rowlee). Although S. maccalliana is phenetically closer to sect. Salicaster than to (subg. Chamaetia) sect. Glaucae (G. W. Argus 1997), it is probable that because it incorporates genomes from more than one subgenus, its subgeneric placement is arbitrary.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 73. FNA vol. 7, p. 49.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Salix > sect. Maccallianae
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. 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. 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
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813) Rowlee: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 34: 158. (1907)
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