Salix richardsonii Hook.
Richardson's willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Richardson's willow
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Dioecious shrubs 0.3-2.5 (-6.5) m tall, not colonial; branches erect, flexible at base; twigs red- to yellow-brown, sparsely to densely hairy.
Leaves:
Alternate, simple, elliptic to broadly elliptic or egg-shaped, 2-10 cm long, 1-5.5 cm wide, lower surface glaucous, smooth or sparsely long soft-hairy becoming nearly smooth, hairs white and rust-coloured, upper surface shiny, long soft-hairy to nearly smooth, margins entire or blunt-toothed, bases and tips pointed to rounded; leaf stalks without glandular dots at top; stipules leaflike.
Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower before leaves emerge, the catkins stout, unstalked; floral bracts dark, hairs straight; stamens 2; ovaries 1, smooth; styles 1.6-2.8 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 0.4-1 mm long.
Notes:
Vegetative specimens of Salix richardsonii are sometimes difficult to distinguish from S. barclayi (see Table 3, page 60).
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
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Green
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Salix richardsonii
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) |
1276 | 55 | 1798 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
15 | 0 | 52 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
115 | 10 | 315 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 3 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
27 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SWB | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(3), BG(1), BWBS(2), CWH(1), ESSF(4), IDF(1), MS(1), SBS(2), SWB(10) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic thickets, streambanks, gravelly shores, rocky slopes, fens, meadows and open forests from the montane to alpine zones; frequent in N BC; amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT and disjunct to SK; E Asia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Salix lanata
Salix lanata subsp. richardsonii (Hook.) Skvort.
Salix richardsonii var. mckeandii Polunin