The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Mackenzie willow, Mackenzie's willow

Habit Shrubs, 1–5 m.
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.

branches gray-brown or red-brown, not or weakly glaucous, (with sparkling wax crystals), glabrous or moderately villous;

branchlets yellow-green, or yellow-brown to red-brown, glabrous or sparsely to moderately densely velvety, (inner membranaceous bud-scale layer free, 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 foliaceous, apex acuminate to rounded;

petiole convex to flat adaxially, 6–12 mm, glabrous or pilose adaxially;

largest medial blade narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or obovate, 50–150 × 10–53 mm, 2.4–4.5 times as long as wide, base cordate, subcordate, rounded, or convex, margins flat, serrate, serrulate, or spinulose-serrulate, apex acuminate to acute, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial dull, glabrous, pilose, or sparsely pubescent, (sometimes adaxial stomata only along veins or apically);

proximal blade margins entire;

juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, glabrous, pilose or sparsely long-silky abaxially, hairs white.

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.

adaxial nectary oblong to narrowly oblong, 0.8–1 mm;

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

anthers purple turning yellow, (ellipsoid), 0.5–0.6 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.

adaxial nectary oblong, square, or flask-shaped, 0.3–0.8 mm, shorter than stipe;

stipe 1.3–4.2 mm;

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

ovules 12–22 per ovary;

styles 0.3–0.7 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, or 2 plump lobes, or slenderly cylindrical, 0.16–0.28–0.4 mm.

Capsules

4–6 mm.

4–6 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.

flowering as leaves emerge; staminate slender or stout, 16–41 × 8–12 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–3 mm; pistillate moderately densely to loosely flowered, slender or stout, 19–66 × 8–18 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–6 mm;

floral bract brown, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy mainly proximally, hairs straight or wavy.

2n

= 38.

Salix viminalis

Salix prolixa

Phenology Flowering Apr-early May. Flowering late Mar-late Jun.
Habitat Sandy, open woods, cobble rivershores, lake margins, and roadsides Along streams, lakes, springs, marsh margins, sandy-gravel, sandy or silty substrates
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 100-2300 m (300-7500 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; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 149. FNA vol. 7, p. 125.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Viminella 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. 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. 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. 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. cordata var. mackenzieana, S. eriocephala subsp. mackenzieana, S. mackenzieana, S. mackenzieana var. macrogemma, S. rigida var. mackenzieana, S. rigida var. macrogemma
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1021. (1753) Andersson: Monogr. Salicum, 94, plate 5, fig. 52. (1867)
Web links