|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||
| DRUMMOND’S WILLOW | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Salix drummondiana | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Drummond’s willow grows to 4 m tall. This species has dark reddish-brown to blackish branches that are covered in a waxy bloom. The leaves are up to 11 cm long and 6 cm wide. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green. The lower surface is densely silky-hairy or woolly with a yellowish midrib. The young leaves are densely white-silky. The leaf margins are entire to round-toothed and may have glands. The catkins appear before the leaves and are not on leafy stalks. The male catkins are between 1 and 5 cm long, while the female catkins may be up to 11 cm. The capsules are yellowish and are sparsely silky-hairy. The bracts are black or dark brown with long, straight hairs. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Drummond’s willow grows in sand dunes or on moist grounds or shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in northwestern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Plain ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Drummond’s willow is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY DRUMMOND’S WILLOW | |||||||||
| * Are the bracts black or dark brown with long,
straight hairs? * Do the catkins appear before the leaves? * Is the lower surface of the leaf densely silky-hairy with a yellowish midrib? * Did you find it in northwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Drummond’s willow! | |||||||||
