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basket willow, common osier, osier, osier willow, silky osier

arctic willow, northern willow

Habit Plants 0.03–0.15 m, (dwarf), forming clones by layering.
Stems

branches yellow-brown, gray-brown, or yellowish, not glaucous, glabrous or puberulent;

branchlets yellow-brown or yellowish (sometimes color obscured by hairs), glabrous, densely to sparsely villous, velvety, or puberulent.

prostrate, long-trailing;

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

branchlets yellow-green or yellow-brown to red-brown, (sometimes weakly glaucous), glabrous, (inner membranaceous bud-scale layer free, not separating from outer layer).

Leaves

stipules (not adnate to petioles), rudimentary or absent on early ones, (late ones sometimes brownish, linear, 5.4–10.4 mm), apex acuminate;

petiole shallowly grooved adaxially, 4–13 mm, villous, puberulent, or velvety adaxially;

largest medial blade linear, lorate, narrowly oblong, or narrowly elliptic, 53–130 × 5–33 mm, base cuneate, margins strongly revolute, sinuate or apparently entire, (glands epilaminal), apex acuminate, acute, or convex, abaxial surface apparently glaucous (obscured by hairs), densely short-silky, woolly, or tomentose, (midribs prominent, yellowish, and hairy), hairs appressed, spreading or erect, straight or wavy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, sparsely or moderately densely pubescent, hairs gray;

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade yellowish green, very densely tomentose or short-silky abaxially, hairs white.

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

petiole 3–7.8–15 mm;

largest medial blade hypostomatous or hemiamphistomatous, elliptic, obovate, broadly elliptic, broadly obovate, subcircular, or oblanceolate, 15–31–60 × 6.5–16–35 mm, 1.2–3–4.3 times as long as wide, base cuneate, convex, or rounded, margins slightly revolute, inconspicuously crenulate or entire, apex usually acute or convex, sometimes rounded, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial slightly or highly glossy, glabrous;

proximal blade margins entire or serrulate;

juvenile blade glabrous.

Staminate flowers

adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.6–1.5 mm;

filaments distinct;

anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid to shortly cylindrical, 0.6–0.8 mm.

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary oblong, square, narrowly oblong, or ovate, 0.4–1 mm;

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

anthers ellipsoid or long-cylindrical, 0.5–0.7 mm.

Pistillate flowers

adaxial nectary narrowly oblong or oblong, 0.9–1.4 mm;

ovary pyriform, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 12–18 per ovary;

styles 0.6–1.8 mm.

abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary oblong or narrowly oblong, 0.5–0.9 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 0.8–1.4 mm;

ovary pyriform or obclavate, pubescent or short-silky, (refractive), hairs (white, grayish, or ferruginous), crinkled, often refractive, ribbonlike, beak gradually tapering to styles;

ovules 8–16 per ovary;

styles connate or distinct 1/2 their lengths, 0.6–1.4 mm;

stigmas slenderly or broadly cylindrical, 0.24–0.47–0.72 mm.

Capsules

4–6 mm.

5–9 mm.

Catkins

flowering just before or as leaves emerge; staminate stout, 24–48 mm, flowering branchlet 0–2 mm; pistillate densely flowered, 23–55 mm, flowering branchlet 0–6 mm;

floral bract brown or tawny, 1.6–2.2 mm, apex convex or rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight.

staminate 19–54 × 7–16 mm, flowering branchlet 4–20 mm; pistillate densely to moderately densely flowered, slender to subglobose, 30–79(–130 in fruit) × 10–20 mm, flowering branchlet 8–57 mm;

floral bract brown, black, or bicolor, 0.8–2.4 mm, apex rounded or acute, entire, abaxially densely hairy, hairs straight.

2n

= 38.

= 76.

Salix viminalis

Salix arctophila

Phenology Flowering Apr-early May. Flowering late May-late Jul.
Habitat Sandy, open woods, cobble rivershores, lake margins, and roadsides Arctic-alpine, subarctic, hummocks in wet, mossy, grass or sedge meadows, margins of streams or ponds, among granite boulders, on alluvial plains, sometimes in snowbeds
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 40-600 m (100-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IA; IN; MA; ME; NJ; NY; OH; RI; VT; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; ME; MB; NL; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salix ×smithiana (S. caprea × S. viminalis) is distinguished from S. viminalis by having leaf blades usually broad, 2.8–4.9(–6.4) times as long as wide, stipes 0.9–2 mm, ovaries short-silky, branches ± brittle at base, and petioles flat to convex adaxially; S. viminalis has leaf blades usually very narrow, 4.7–13.7 times as long as wide, stipes 0.1–0.5 mm, ovaries long-silky, branches flexible at base, and petioles shallowly grooved adaxially.

See Salix ×smithiana [p. 132] and 86. S. pellita for further comparative descriptions.

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

Salix arctophila occurs in western Greenland.

Hybrids:

Salix arctophila forms natural hybrids with S. arctica, S. glauca var. cordifolia, and S. uva-ursi.

Salix arctophila × S. glauca var. cordifolia: Plants with villous leaves and moderately densely hairy branchlets and branches suggest this hybrid. Putative hybrids are rare but have been seen from Kuujjuaq and Ivujivik, Quebec (G. W. Argus, unpubl.), and are reported to be common in West Greenland (T. W. Böcher 1952).

Salix arctophila × S. uva-ursi is a rare hybrid. The plants often have ovaries with patches of hairs, some of which are ribbonlike, as in S. arctophila, but their habit is compact, as in S. uva-ursi, rather than long-trailing as in S. arctophila. Some specimens are infertile and are evidently hybrids, but there is little to confirm S. uva-ursi as the second parent. N. Polunin (1940b) also expressed some uncertainty about plants intermediate between S. arctophila and S. uva-ursi, and A. K. Skvortsov (1971) discounted this hybrid but noted that there were a few somewhat doubtful specimens.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 149. FNA vol. 7, p. 73.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Viminella Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Myrtosalix
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. uva-ursi, S. vestita, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
S. alaxensis, S. alba, S. amygdaloides, S. arbusculoides, S. arctica, 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. uva-ursi, S. vestita, S. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. arctophila var. lejocarpa, S. groenlandica var. lejocarpa
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1021. (1753) Cockerell ex A. Heller: Cat. N. Amer. Pl. ed. 3, 89. (1910)
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