Salix nivalis

Hooker

Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 152. 1838.

Common names: Dwarf snow willow
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Salix nivalis var. saximontana (Rydberg) C. K. Schneider Salix reticulata subsp. nivalis (Hooker) Á. Löve, D. Löve & B. M. Kapoor Salix reticulata var. saximontana (Rydberg) Kelso
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 7. Treatment on page 66. Mentioned on page 62.

Plants 0.01–0.04 m, (dwarf, forming clonal mats by rhizomes). Stems trailing or erect; branches yellowbrown or redbrown, glabrous or pubescent; branchlets yellowbrown or redbrown, glabrous or pilose. Leaves: stipules absent or rudimentary; petiole 1.5–7 mm (sometimes glandular distally or throughout); largest medial blade hypostomatous, (veins impressed-reticulate, 2 pairs of secondary-veins arising at or close to base, arcing toward apex,), elliptic to broadly elliptic, 6–22 × 4–15 mm, 1.1–2.8 times as long as wide, base convex, rounded, subcordate, or cuneate, margins slightly revolute, entire (glandular-dotted), apex convex, rounded, or retuse, abaxial surface glabrous or with long-silky hairs, adaxial slightly glossy, glabrous; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade glabrous. Catkins: staminate 7–19 × 2.5–6 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–17 mm; pistillate densely to loosely flowered (4–17 flowers), stout, subglobose or globose, 7–21 × 2–9 mm, flowering branchlet 1–10 mm; floral bract tawny or light rose, 0.8–1.8 mm, apex rounded, entire, abaxially glabrous. Staminate flowers: abaxial nectary 0.5–1.3 mm, adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or square, 0.5–1.2 mm, nectaries connate and cupshaped; filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy basally; anthers ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.4–0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: abaxial nectary (0–) 0.2–0.5 mm, adaxial nectary oblong, 0.2–1 mm, longer than stipe, nectaries distinct or connate and shallowly cupshaped; stipe 0–0.8 mm; ovary obturbinate, short-silky, hairs flattened, beak abruptly tapering to styles; ovules 8–10 per ovary; styles distinct to connate 1/2 their lengths, 0.2–0.4 mm; stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded tip, 0.2–0.26–0.36 mm. Capsules 3–4 mm. 2n = 38.


Phenology: Flowering late Jun-late Aug.
Habitat: Alpine tundra, cirques, lake basins, rocky slopes and ridges, fellfields
Elevation: 1900-4000 m

Distribution

V7 58-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Because geographic overlap is small and evidence of intergradation is tenuous, Salix nivalis is best treated as a species separate from S. reticulata; S. nivalis was previously treated as a subspecies of S. reticulata (G. W. Argus 1986b, 1991).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"-0.36mm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Salix nivalis"
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br />) +
connate +  and distinct +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
with long-silky hairs +  and glabrous +
oblong +  and square +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
red turning yellow +
cylindrical +  and ellipsoid +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
rounded +, retuse +  and convex +
George W. Argus +
Hooker +
cuneate +, subcordate +, rounded +  and convex +
Salix sect. Chamaetia +
tapering +
toothed +  and 2-fid +
persistent +
redbrown +  and yellowbrown +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
pilose +  and glabrous +
subglobose +  and globose +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
pistillate +  and densely loosely flowered +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br />) +
pendulous +, spreading +  and erect +
globose +  and subglobose +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
Dwarf snow willow +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
1900-4000 m +
hairy +  and glabrous +
light rose +  and tawny +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
pistillate +  and staminate +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
spherical +
Alpine tundra, cirques, lake basins, rocky slopes and ridges, fellfields +
white and ferruginous +  and white +
long-silky +
flattened +
unbranched +  and spicate +
subterminal +  and axillary +
membranaceous +
elliptic +  and broadly elliptic +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
obovate +, oblong +, oblanceolate +, circular +, subcircular +  and elliptic +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
arranged +  and alternate +
marcescent +
deciduous +
connate +  and distinct +
cup-shaped +
2-7[-10]-carpellate +
short-silky +
obturbinate +
glandular-dotted +
flat;convex;flat;convex +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Flowering late Jun-late Aug. +
Fl. Bor.-Amer. +
overlapping +
distinct +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
branched +, sympodial +, monopodial +  and branching +
erect;trailing +
glabrescent;pubescent +
non-papillate +
cylindrical +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
caducous +  and persistent +
distinct +  and connate +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
persistent +  and deciduous +
ferruginous +  and white +
Salix nivalis var. saximontana +, Salix reticulata subsp. nivalis +  and Salix reticulata var. saximontana +
Salix nivalis +
Salix sect. Chamaetia +
species +
rounded +
sympodial +, branching +  and heterophyllous +