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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE WILLOW FAMILY | |||||||||
| The willows are widespread, especially in north temperate and subarctic regions of the world. The bark on the trunks may be smooth or rough and can vary in colour from white to brownish to gray. The leaves are simple and alternate. The male and female flowers are on separate plants. The flowers are in spike-like clusters called catkins. The flowers are very small and do not have sepals or petals. The male flowers consist of nectaries and stamens with a single bract below. The female flowers consist of nectaries, and a superior ovary with a single bract below. The fruit is a capsule that contains many small seeds, each of which has a tuft of long, white silky hairs. | |||||||||
| ARCTIC WILLOW | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Salix arctophila | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Arctic willow is a dwarf shrub that grows along the ground. The branches are dark brown to greenish-gray and turn black when they are dried. The leaves are 2 to 4 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide on short stalks. The leaves are egg-shaped and are glossy and green above and at least slightly hairy with a waxy bloom below. The margin can be smooth or shallowly round-toothed. The catkins are large and appear at the same time as the leaves on leafy stalks. The female catkins are between 3 and 10 cm long. The capsules are reddish-purple and are slightly hairy. The bracts are brown to black and are hairy at the tip. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Arctic willow grows in bouldery or gravelly stream valleys and peaty shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Tazin Lake Upland and Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Arctic willow is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. No threats known or anticipated for this species at the present time. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY ARCTIC WILLOW | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves egg-shaped and with a waxy bloom
on the lower surface? * Do the catkins appear at the same time as the leaves? * Are the plants dwarf shrubs that grow along the ground? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found arctic willow! | |||||||||
