Salix sphenophylla

Plants 0.03–0.12 m, not clonal or forming clones by layering. Stems trailing and rooting; branches yellow-brown or brownish, glabrous; branchlets yellow-brown, glabrous. Leaves: stipules absent or rudimentary; petiole 4–25 mm, (glabrous or pilose adaxially); largest medial blade hypostomatous, narrowly elliptic, broadly elliptic, obovate, or very broadly obovate, 19–52 × 10–28 mm, 1–3 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat or slightly revolute, entire, apex convex, retuse, or rounded, abaxial surface glabrous, pilose or sparsely long-silky to glabrescent, hairs straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous or pilose; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade (reddish), very sparsely long-silky abaxially. Catkins: staminate 21–53 × 7–13 mm, flowering branchlet 8–20 mm; pistillate loosely to densely flowered, slender or stout, 32–79 × 7–18 mm, flowering branchlet 4–27 mm; floral bract brown or black, 1.1–2 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially hairy or ciliate, hairs straight. Staminate flowers: abaxial nectary absent, adaxial nectary oblong, 0.6–1 mm; filaments distinct; anthers ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.4–0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.7–1.6 mm, equal to or longer than stipe; stipe 0.5–1.4 mm; ovary obclavate or pyriform, glabrous, or patchy or streaky pilose or villous, especially on beak, beak gradually tapering to or slightly bulged below styles; ovules 10–18 per ovary; styles 0.6–1.8 mm; stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with pointed tip, or slenderly cylindrical, 0.32–0.5–0.68 mm. Capsules 4–12 mm. 2n = 38, 57.

Phenology: Flowering mid Jun-late Jul (early Aug).
Habitat: Stony or gravelly substrates on talus, rocky outcrops, dry, stony tundra, sandy and moss tundra
Elevation: 10-900 m

N.W.T., Yukon, Alaska, e Asia (Chukotka, Russian Far East, e Siberia).

Discussion

The patchy or streaky indumentum on the ovaries of some plants suggests that they may be hybrids.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa