Salix pyrifolia Andersson
balsam willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
balsam willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Dioecious shrubs, 0.4-4 m tall, not colonial; branches erect, flexible at base; twigs yellowish to red-brown, smooth or sparsely hairy; buds and foliage with a balsam-like fragrance
Leaves:
Alternate, simple narrowly oblong to elliptic or broadly elliptic, 3-10 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, lower surface glaucous, smooth, upper surface shiny or highly glossy, smooth, margins toothed or entire, bases heart-shaped to rounded, tips pointed; leaf stalks with or without glandular dots at top; stipules leaflike but soon lost.
Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower as leaves emerge or just before them, the catkins stout, on leafy twigs; floral bracts pale, hairs straight or wavy; stamens 2; ovaries 1, smooth; styles 0.4-0.5 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 1.8-3.5 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
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Salix pyrifolia
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) |
908 | 420 | 1745 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
6 | 0 | 60 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
248 | 2 | 350 |
| 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: |
91 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(6), BWBS(23), ESSF(1), ICH(3), IDF(1), SBPS(2), SBS(52), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to moist muskeg, fens, stream margins and clearings in the montane zone; infrequent in E BC north of 53degreeN; N to YT and S NT, E to NF and S to ME, NH, MI, WI and MN.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Salix balsamifera (Hook.) Barratt ex Andersson
Salix balsamifera var. alpestris Bebb
Salix balsamifera var. lanceolata Bebb
Salix balsamifera var. vegeta Bebb
Salix cordata var. balsamifera Hook.
Salix pyrifolia var. lanceolata (Bebb) Fernald