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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. | |||||||||
| TYRRELL’S WILLOW | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Salix tyrrellii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Tyrrell’s willow grows as tall as 2 m. The stems are slender and erect with reddish branches. The leaf blades are 2 to 2.5 cm long and 4 to 8 mm wide. The leaves are green, shiny and hairless on both sides. The catkins appear at the same time as the leaves and are on short, leafy stalks. The capsules are 3 to 4 mm long and are densely white-hairy. The bracts are reddish to yellow in colour. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Tyrrell’s willow grows in active sand dunes and broad lake beaches. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is only found in northwestern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Plain ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Tyrrell’s willow is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon and is highly regionally restricted. This species is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TYRRELL’S WILLOW | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves shiny, green, and hairless on
both sides? * Are the capsules densely white-hairy? * Are the bracts reddish to yellowish in colour? * Did you find it in northwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Tyrrell’s willow! | |||||||||
