Salix polaris Wahlenb.
polar willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
polar willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Dwarf shrubs, 1-9 cm tall, forming rhizomatous mats; branches erect, flexible at base, weakly to strongly glaucous; twigs brownish, smooth.
Leaves:
Alternate, simple, elliptic to egg-shaped or nearly circular, 0.5-3.2 cm long, 0.8-1.8 cm wide, lower surface not glaucous, smooth or hairy, hairs white; upper surface shiny, smooth, margins entire, bases and tips pointed to rounded; leaf stalks without glandular dots at top; stipules absent or rudimentary.
Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower as leaves emerge, the catkins stout, on leafy twigs; floral bracts dark, smooth or hairy, hairs straight or wavy; stamens 2; ovaries 1, hairy; styles 0.7-1.6 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 0.2-0.7 mm long.
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
USDA Species Characteristics
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Salix polaris
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) |
1691 | 5 | 2440 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
15 | 0 | 300 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
70 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
324 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(280), ESSF(21), IMA(3), MH(1), SWB(13) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist late snowbed and snowflush areas and scree slopes in the upper subalpine and alpine zones; common in N BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Salix polaris subsp. pseudopolaris (Flod.) HultΘn
Salix polaris var. glabrata HultTn
Salix polaris var. selwynensis Raup
Salix pseudopolaris Flod.