Salix myrtillifolia Andersson
bilberry willow (blueberry willow)
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
bilberry willow (blueberry willow)
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Species Information
General:
Dioecious shrubs, 0.1-0.6 m tall, layering; stems decumbent or erect, flexible at base; twigs yellow- to red-brown, sparsely hairy.
Leaves:
Alternate, simple, narrowly elliptic to broadly egg-shaped, 1.7-6.2 cm long, 0.8-2.6 cm wide, lower surface not glaucous, smooth, upper surface shiny, smooth, margins blunt-toothed, bases and tips pointed to rounded; leaf stalks without glandular dots at top; stipules rudimentary, rarely leaflike.
Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower as leaves emerge, the catkins stout, on leafy twigs; floral bracts dark or pale, smooth or hairy, hairs straight or wavy; stamens 2; ovaries 1, smooth; styles 0.3-0.5 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 0.6-1.6 mm long.
Notes:
A related taxon, which has been named S. myrtillifolia var. cordata (Andersson) Dorn, is treated here as S. pseudomyrsinites Andersson. See that species for comments. S. myrtillifolia may hybridize with S. candida.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Salix myrtillifolia
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
927 | 6 | 1975 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
9 | 0 | 173 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
329 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 1 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
361 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(211), ESSF(32), MS(3), SBPS(1), SBS(33), SWB(51) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Deep moss in moist to wet muskeg, fens and lake and river shores; throughout BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains, common in N BC, infrequent in S BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to ON, disjunct PQ, NB and NF and S to WY and CO.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Salix lingulata Anderss.
Salix myrsinites var. curtiflora Anderss.
Salix myrtillifolia var. brachypoda Fernald
Salix myrtillifolia var. curtiflora (Anderss.) Bebb ex Rose
Salix myrtillifolia var. lingulata (Anderss.) Ball
Salix myrtillifolia var. myrtillifolia
Salix novae-angliae var. myrtillifolia (Anderss.) Anderss.
Salix novae-angliae var. pseudocordata Anderss.
Salix pseudocordata (Andersson) Rydb.