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

rock willow

Habit Plants 0.2–1.5 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.

erect;

branches brownish or red-brown, (dull), glabrous, long-silky, or villous to glabrescent;

branchlets yellow-brown or gray-brown, long-silky, pilose, or moderately densely villous.

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 absent or rudimentary;

petiole (shallowly to deeply grooved adaxially), 2–8 mm, (with 2 spherical glands distally, dark brown, sometimes basilaminar, sparsely pubescent or glabrous adaxially);

largest medial blade hypostomatous, (veins strongly impressed-reticulate), broadly elliptic, subcircular, or obovate, 18–67 × 10–40 mm, 1.1–2.3 times as long as wide, base rounded, convex, or subcordate, margins strongly revolute, crenate or subentire, apex rounded, convex, retuse, or toothed, abaxial surface sparsely to densely villous or long-silky, veins often with long, straight hairs, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous or sparsely long-silky;

proximal blade margins entire or crenate;

juvenile blade (yellowish green), abaxially very densely long-silky.

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 0.6–0.8 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, 0.5–1.2 mm, nectaries connate and shallowly cup-shaped, or distinct;

filaments distinct, hairy on proximal 1/2;

anthers ellipsoid or globose, 0.3–0.5 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 (0–)0.8–0.9 mm, adaxial nectary oblong, ovate, or narrowly oblong to almost filiform, 0.7–1.4 mm, shorter to longer than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and cup-shaped;

stipe 0.4–1.2 mm;

ovary pyriform or obnapiform, densely short-silky, hairs cylindrical, beak abruptly tapering to styles;

ovules 13–15 per ovary;

styles connate 1/2 their lengths to almost distinct, 0.2–0.4 mm;

stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, slenderly cylindrical, or 2 plump lobes, 0.2–0.28–0.36 mm.

Capsules

4–6 mm.

3–5 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 13–48 × 4–6.5(–8) mm, flowering branchlet 3–31(–50) mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender or stout, 18–56 × 4–10 mm, flowering branchlet 3–27(–40) mm;

floral bract tawny, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially densely hairy, hairs straight.

2n

= 38.

= 38.

Salix viminalis

Salix vestita

Phenology Flowering Apr-early May. Flowering mid Jun-late Jul.
Habitat Sandy, open woods, cobble rivershores, lake margins, and roadsides Moist to dry open forests and rocky streamsides, in upper montane and subalpine zones, rarely alpine
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 0-2400 m (0-7900 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
MT; OR; WA; AB; BC; MB; NL; NS; NU; ON; QC; Asia (China [Xinjiang], Mongolia, Russia, e, c Siberia)
[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 vestita is an ancient amphiberingian species. Its distribution includes a series of isolated, disjunct populations in Central Siberia, the northern Rocky Mountains, the west coast of Hudson Bay, and the northeastern arctic and subarctic. Occurrence in Nunavut is on Akpatok Island in Ungava Bay and on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay. It may be extirpated in Washington.

The flowering and vegetative branchlets sometimes have relatively short internodes. In subsequent years, branches have the appearance of short shoots similar to those in Alnus. Short shoots do not appear on all branches or in all years. The formation of short shoots may be related to adverse growing conditions.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 149. FNA vol. 7, p. 64.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Vetrix > sect. Viminella Salicaceae > Salix > subg. Chamaetia > sect. Chamaetia
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. 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. viminalis, S. wolfii, S. ×fragilis, S. ×jesupii, S. ×pendulina, S. ×sepulcralis, S. ×smithiana
Synonyms S. leiolepis, S. vestita subsp. leiolepis, S. vestita var. psilophylla
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1021. (1753) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 610. (1813)
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