Species: Salix arctophila Cockerell ex Heller

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Salix arctophila Cockerell ex Heller

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Salicaceae

Genus:

Salix

Species Synonyms:

Salix arctica Liebm., non Pallas
Salix arctica var. antiplasta (Schneid.) Fern.
Salix arctica var. araioclada (Schneid.) Raup
Salix arctica var. brownei Anderss.
Salix arctica var. caespitosa (Kennedy) L. Kelso
Salix arctica var. graminifolia (E.H. Kelso) L. Kelso
Salix arctica var. pallasii (Anderss.) Kurtz
Salix arctica var. petraea (Anderss.) Bebb
Salix arctica var. petrophila (Rydb.) L. Kelso
Salix arctophila var. leiocarpa (Anderss.) Schneid.
Salix groenlandica Lundstr., non Heer
Salix groenlandica var. leiocarpa (Anderss.) Lange

Common Names:

arctic willow
northern willow
trailing willow

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – northern Mackenzie District – Arctic Island – northern Ungava – Labrador, south to southern Mackenzie District– south eastern Keewatin District – northeastern Saskatchewan – northern Manitoba – northern Ontario – Quebec - Newfoundland

Saskatchewan:

northern Saskatchewan; Patterson Lake – Hasbala Lake

Ecoregion:

Tazin Lake Upland, Selwyn Lake Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

bouldery or gravelly stream valleys and peaty shores

Canada:

mossy tundra, streambanks, lake shores, and alpine barrens

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Arctic willow is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. No threats are known or anticipated for this species at the present time.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

dwarf shrubs, usually trailing

Stems:

branches chestnut brown to greenish-gray, turning black upon drying; branchlets yellowish-green

Leaves:

simple, alternate, short-stalked, 2 – 4 cm long, 1 – 2 cm wide, egg-shaped to broadly elliptic, base acute, tip acute to obtuse, hairless, may be glossy green above, pubescent or hairless and with a waxy bloom below, margin entire to shallowly round-toothed, glandular

Inflorescence:

catkins large, appearing at the same time as the leaves, on leafy stalks, stiffly erect; female catkins 3 – 10 cm long

Flowers:

female flowers with reddish-purple ovaries; male flowers with 2 stamens

Fruits:

capsules 5 – 6 mm long, thinly hairy to nearly hairless, reddish-purple; bracts brown or black, bearded at the tip; stalks shorter than bracts

SALIX KEY FOR SPECIES WITH GLABROUS OVARIES IN SASKATCHEWAN
* For a more accurate and in depth Salix key, the reader is referred to the interactive key created by Dr. G. Argus. This key is available through the Alaska Natural Heritage Program at the University of Alaska.

1 Bracts of catkins white, yellow, or golden brown	2
1 Bracts of catkins brown to reddish or black	12

2 Capsules sessile or nearly so, stalk less than 1 mm	3
2 Capsules definitely stalked, stalk more than 1 mm	8

3 Twigs golden, yellow, orange or yellowish-green (leaves green, dull)	4
3 Twigs greyish to yellowish-brown (leaves yellowish-green, semi-glossy)	6

4 Female catkins 1.5 – 8 cm long; dense ticket-forming shrubs; twigs light yellow to orange; capsules 4 – 8 mm long (leaves linear, sides parallel)	S. exigua ssp. interior
4 Female catkins 3 – 6 cm long; shrub or tree; twigs golden yellow to orange to greenish; capsule 3.5 – 5 mm long (leaves lance-shaped to oval)	5

5 Large tree; twigs golden yellow to orange	S. alba
5 Shrub 2 – 6 m tall; twigs yellowish-green	S. pentandra

6 Twigs shiny (leaves white-waxy below)	S. serissima
6 Twigs dull (leaves pale beneath)	7

7 Commonly less than 3 m tall, female catkins to 10 cm, capsules to 7 mm long, on stalks to 2 mm long	S. lucida ssp. lasiandra
7 To about 5 m tall, female catkins to 5 cm long, capsules < 7 mm long, on stalks ca. 1 mm long	S. lucida ssp. lucida

8 Female catkins 3 – 8 cm long; twigs drooping or arching	S. amygdaloides
8 Female catkins 1 – 4 cm long; twigs erect or ascending	9

9 Twigs shiny	S. serissima
9 Twigs dull	10

10 Slender shrub, 40 – 100 cm tall; bracts persistent; sphagnum bogs and swamps (leaves green above, white-waxy below; stipules absent)	S. pedicillaris
10 Shrub or small tree to 4 m tall; bracts falling off early; swamps, shores and wet meadows (leaves yellowish-green above, may be white or bluish waxy below; stipules present)	11

11 Commonly less than 3 m tall, female catkins to 10 cm, capsules to 7 mm long, on stalks to 2 mm long	S. lucida ssp. lasiandra
11 To about 5 m tall, female catkins to 5 cm long, capsules < 7 mm long, on stalks ca. 1 mm long	S. lucida ssp. lucida

12 Low, decumbent or trailing shrubs, < 1 m tall	S. myrtilloides
12 Shrubs 1 – 10 m tall	13

13 Twigs closely gray-hairy; shrub to 7 m tall	S. eriocephala var. famelica
13 Twigs hairless; generally to 4 m tall	14

14 Buds with a balsamic fragrance	S. pyrifolia
14 Buds not fragrant	15

15 Female catkins sessile or subsessile (leaves white or bluish waxy below)	16
15 Female catkins on leafy stalks (leaves not white or bluish waxy below)	S. pseudomyrsinites

16 Female catkins 1 – 3 cm long (leaves short tapered)	S. turnorii
16 Female catkins 3 – 7 cm long (leaves acute to obtuse)	S. pseudomonticola

SALIX KEY FOR SPECIES WITH PUBESCENT OVARIES IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Shrubs trailing or very small (< 10 cm tall above ground)	2
1 Shrubs erect, taller than 10 cm	3

2 Female catkin scales black; capsules 6 – 9 mm long; stems trailing	S. arctophila
2 Female catkin scales reddish to yellowish; capsules 4 – 5 mm long; stems mostly buried	S. reticulata ssp. reticulata

3 New twigs permanently white felty-woolly; Lake Athabasca only (leaves nearly white, oval to lance-shaped)	S. silicola
3 New twigs hairless or otherwise hairy; distribution various (leaves generally green, at least above)	4

4 Branches gray-brown, exfoliating; shrubs 30 – 200 cm tall; Lake Athabasca	S. athabascensis
4 Branches various colours, not exfoliating; shrubs 30 cm to 4 m tall	5

5 Female catkin bracts dark brown to black	6
5 Female catkin bracts yellow to brown	13

6 Bark dark brown; catkins nearly round; shrub 2 – 3 m tall; Lake Athabasca	S. tyrellii
6 Bark reddish, greyish, dark brown to yellowish-brown; catkins generally longer than wide; distribution various	7

7 Female catkins sessile or nearly so	8
7 Female catkins on leafy stalks	10

8 Female catkin scales black	9
8 Female catkin scales dark brown	S. arbusculoides

9 Bark brown; capsules 4 – 6 mm long; shrubs 3 – 5 m tall; boreal forest	S. pellita
9 Bark greyish; capsules 5 – 10 mm long; shrubs 1 – 5 m tall; widespread in Saskatchewan, prairies, aspen woods and mixed woods	S. discolor

10 Branches dark brown to yellow-brown	S. scouleri
10 Branches dark brown to reddish-brown	11

11 Capsules purplish-tinged; northwest Saskatchewan	S. x brachypurpurea
11 Capsules not purplish; distribution various	12

12 Female catkins 1 – 3 cm long (leaves 5 – 10 cm long, margins glandular-saw-toothed on later leaves)	S. petiolaris
12 Female catkins 2 – 6 cm long (leaves 3 – 5 cm long, margins slightly rolled, sub-entire to remotely toothed)	S. planifolia

13 Capsules 8 – 10 mm long, long-hairy to gray-woolly (leaves green below, with red and white matted hairs that are soon lost)	S. macalliana
13 Capsules < 8 mm long, hairs various (leaves various)	14

14 Shrubs < 1.5 m tall	15
14 Shrubs or small trees to 4 m tall	17

15 Capsules white-woolly; styles red	S. candida
15 Capsules woolly to long-hairy; styles green

16 Female catkins 1 – 2 long; bark grey to reddish; branches long-hairy (leaves narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped, greyish-white hairs on both sides; see leaf key for varieties)	S. brachycarpa
16 Female catkins 2 – 5 cm long; bark dull grey; branches gray woolly (leaves egg-shaped to elliptic, dark green, hairless to short-hairy above, with a waxy bloom below)	S. glauca ssp. glabrescens

17 Capsules 5 – 8 mm; female catkins 2 – 5 cm long; bark reddish (leaves 2 – 6 cm long)	S. bebbiana
17 Capsules 3 – 6 mm long; female catkins 3.5 – 11 cm long; bark dark reddish-brown to blackish, waxy bloom often prominent (leaves 4.5 – 11 cm long)	S. drummondiana

SALIX KEY BY LEAVES IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Leaves green below	2
1 Leaves with a white or bluish waxy bloom below	15

2 Leaves linear, the sides parallel	S. exigua ssp. interior
2 Leaves narrowly elliptic to broadly oval or egg-shaped	3

3 Leaves densely hairy beneath	4
3 Leaves hairless or only sparsely hairy beneath	7

4 Length to width ratio of leaves 2:1 or 3:1; trees or tall shrubs 2 – 7 m tall; leaves densely long-hairy to silky-hairy below; margin entire to rolled	S. scouleriana
4 Length to width ratio of leaves 6:1; shrubs to 5 m tall; leaves silky-hairy or woolly below; margin entire to shallowly toothed, may be rolled	5

5 Shrubs less than 3 m tall; leaves narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped, silky or woolly below, hairy above	S. pellita
5 Shrubs 3 – 5 m tall; leaves narrowly lance-shaped, densely silky or woolly below, hairless above	6

6 Leaves narrowly elliptic, margin entire to shallowly toothed; upper surface dark green, sometimes turning dark brown, thinly woolly; shrubs 30 – 150 cm (catkins sessile)	S. candida
6 Leaves narrowly elliptic to distantly glandular or round-toothed-glandular, upper surface dark green, sparsely long-hairy to hairless; shrubs 1 – 3	S. drummondiana

7 Leaf margins entire; leaves and stems persistently white felty; Lake Athabasca	S. silicola
7 Leaf margins entire to toothed; leaves and stems various but not persistently white felty; distribution various	8

8 Leaf stalks glandular at leaf base; leaves oval to elliptic, glossy above, margins glandular-saw-toothed	9
8 Leaf stalks not glandular; leaves elliptic to egg-shaped, not glossy above, margins glandular-saw-toothed to round-toothed	10

9 Leaf base round, green above, apex abruptly tapered	S. lucida ssp. caudata
9 Leaf base obtuse, very dark green above, apex tapered	S. pentandra

10 Low shrubs (< 1 m tall), usually creeping or trailing	S. myrtillifolia
10 Shrubs usually over 2 m tall, erect	11

11 Leaves leathery, matted with white and reddish hairs that soon fall off	S. macalliana
11 Leaves thin, hairs various	12

12 Leaves lance-shaped 3 – 8 cm long, margin saw-toothed	S. eriocephala var. famelica
12 Leaves elliptic to egg-shaped, 2 – 9 cm long, margin saw-toothed to glandular or round-toothed	13

13 Leaves 5 – 9 cm long; branchlets highly glossy	S. serissima
13 Leaves 2 – 5 cm long; branchlets sparsely hairy or dull	14

14 Young leaves reddish, sparsely long-hairy; northern Saskatchewan	S. pseudomyrsinites
14 Young leaves green, sparsely covered in reddish hairs; Lake Athabasca	S. tyrellii

15 Dwarf shrubs, trailing or erect, < 10 cm tall	16
15 Shrubs or trees, > 30 cm tall to 10 m	17

16 Shrub trailing along the ground; upper leaf surface smooth	S. arctophila
16 Shrub erect, very small, mostly below ground; upper leaf surface impressed veiny	S. reticulata ssp. reticulata

17 Leaf margins entire or indistinctly toothed, may be rolled	18
17 Leaf margins distinctly toothed	29

18 Mature leaves densely hairy below	19
18 Mature leaves hairless to short-hairy or sparsely hairy	22

19 Upper leaf surface glossy and dark green; stem exfoliating	S. glauca ssp. glabrescens
19 Upper leaf surface dull or hairy; stem not exfoliating	20

20 Leaf stalk green; shrubs or trees to 5 m tall; branching in pairs; leaves not appearing in fan-shaped arrangements	S. bebbiana
20 Leaf stalk reddish to yellowish; shrubs 0.3 – 1.5 m tall; branching not in pairs; leaves appearing in a fan-shaped arrangement because of short internodes	21

21 From sand dunes of Lake Athabasca	S. brachycarpa var. psammophilus
21 Distributed in northern Canada in meadows, thickets and fens	S. brachycarpa var. brachycarpa

22 Shrubs 30 – 100 cm tall; branches gray-brown, exfoliating; Lake Athabasca	S. athabascensis
22 Shrubs usually over 1 m tall (except S. glauca var. glabrescens); branches reddish to gray; distribution various	23

23 Leaves 5 – 10 cm long	24
23 Leaves less than 6 cm long	25

24 Leaf length to width ratio 3:1	S. discolor
24 Leaf length to width ratio 6:1	S. petiolaris

25 Tall shrubs or trees, 2 – 10 m tall	S. discolor
25 Low shrubs, 20 – 400 cm tall	26

26 Leaves glossy and dark green above	S. glauca ssp. glabrescens
26 Leaves dull above or glossy with sunken veins	27

27 Leaves wrinkly below	S. bebbiana
27 Leaves veiny or not, but not wrinkly below

28 Leaves elliptic to egg-shaped, thinly white or bluish waxy above, leaf length to width ratio 4:1	S. pedicillaris
28 Leaves elliptic, glossy with sunken veins, leaf length to width ratio 3:1	S. planifolia

29 Leaves thin and aromatic when crushed	S. pyrifolia
29 Leaves not aromatic	30

30 Margins round-toothed or wavy	31
30 Margins saw-toothed, may be glandular	32

31 Branches dark brown to yellowish, becoming hairless; shrubs 2 – 11 m tall	S. discolor
31 Branches reddish-brown, hairy, may become hairless; shrubs 0.5 – 5 m tall	S. bebbiana

32 Leaves hairy below	33
32 Leaves hairless below	35

33 Leaf length to width ratio 6:1	34
33 Leaf length to width ratio 3:1	S. planifolia

34 Trees to 20 m tall; leaves with appressed white silky hairs above and below	S. alba
34 Shrubs 1 – 4 m tall; leaves glossy and hairless above, silky hairy below	S. arbusculoides

35 Leaf stalks glandular at leaf base	36
35 Leaf stalks glandless at leaf base	38

36 Stipules minute, glandular lobes; flowering in late summer	S. serissima
36 Stipules leaf-like, semi-oval; flowering in early summer	37

37 Commonly less than 3 m tall, mature leaves abruptly tapered to a tail-like appendage (female catkins to 10 cm, capsules to 7 mm long, on stalks to 2 mm long)	S. lucida ssp. lasiandra
37 To about 5 m tall, mature leaves caudate abruptly tapered to short tapered (female catkins to 5 cm long, capsules < 7 mm long, on stalks ca. 1 mm long)	S. lucida ssp. lucida

38 Stipules persistent, conspicuous, oval	39
38 Stipules deciduous or inconspicuous or linear	40

39 To 7 m tall, branchlets reddish-brown, gray hairy, young leaves green	S. eriocephala var. famelica
39 To 4 m tall; branchlets yellowish to reddish, hairless to long-hairy, young leaves reddish	S. pseudomonticola

40 Leaf tip abruptly tapering to a slender tip	S. amygdaloides
40 Leaf tip long to short tapered	41

41 Leaf base tapered	S. petiolaris
41 Leaf base rounded; Lake Athabasca	42

42 New leaves white woolly, becoming greyish long-hairy, then hairless; leaves lance-shaped (female catkins on leafy shoots	S. x brachypurpurea
42 New leaves hairless; leaves lance-shaped to elliptic (female catkins subsessile)	S. turnorii