General: Dioecious shrubs, 1-3 m tall, not colonial; branches erect, flexible at base; twigs yellow-brown, sparsely to densely hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, elliptic or broadly elliptic, 3.5-10 cm long, 1.7-5 cm wide, lower surface glaucous or not, long soft-hairy, hairs white, upper surface dull, long soft-hairy to nearly smooth, margins toothed with coarse, spreading teeth or nearly entire, bases rounded or heart-shaped, tips pointed; leaf stalks not glandular at top; stipules leaflike, persistent.
Flowers: Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower before leaves emerge, the catkins stout, unstalked; floral bracts dark, hairs straight or wavy; stamens 2; ovaries 1, smooth; styles 1.1-2.8 mm long.
Fruits: Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 0.4-1.5 mm long.
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.
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)