Salix arbusculoides Andersson
northern bush willow (littletree willow; little-tree willow)
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
northern bush willow (littletree willow; little-tree willow)
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Dioecious shrubs to trees, 1-6 m tall, not colonial; branches erect, flexible at base; twigs red-brown, smooth to sparsely hairy.
Leaves:
Alternate, simple, very narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 4-8 cm long, 0.7-2 cm wide, lower surface glaucous, long-silky, hairs white and rust-coloured, upper surface highly glossy or shiny, smooth, margins toothed, bases and tips pointed; leaf stalks without glandular dots at top; stipules leaflike.
Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower as leaves emerge or just before, stout, unstalked, floral bracts pale or dark, hairs straight or wavy; stamens 2; ovaries 1, hairy; 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 0.6-0.9 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
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Salix arbusculoides
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) |
906 | 390 | 1860 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
4 | 0 | 50 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
247 | 20 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 3 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
72 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(33), ESSF(8), ICH(1), IDF(7), MH(2), MS(2), SBPS(5), SBS(3), SWB(9) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic sedge fens, openings in spruce forests and lake shores in the montane and subalpine zones; common in N BC, rare in S BC; N to AK, YT and S NT and E to PQ.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Salix acutifolia auct. non Hook.
Salix humillima Andersson
Salix humillima var. puberula (Andersson) Andersson
Salix saskatchevana Seemen