Salix glauca : Greyleaf Willow

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Salicaceae (Willow Family)

Genera: Salix (Willows) (Classic Latin name for willow)

Species: glauca (Gk. glaukus=blueish-gray)

English Name(s):

Greyleaf Willow , Blue-green Gray-leaved Diamond Willow

First Nation Names:

K'aii'

Structure:

• Branches reddish-brown to grayish.
• Medium sized shrub up to 2 meters tall, but in some situations much shorter or even depressed.
• Twigs grayish quite pubescent (hairy).

Leaves:

• Alternate.
• Petioled (on a stalk).
• Buds of all salix spp. are covered by a single scale.
• 3-5 cm long and half as wide.
• Margins entire (smooth). Upper surface dull green. Lower surface, glaucus (blueish waxy) and pubescent (hairy). Both sides pubescent (hairy) when young.
• Wide lanceolate to elliptic in shape.

Reproductive Parts:

• Flowers lacking a parianth(sepals + petals). Born in cylindrical catkins.
• Plants dioecious (uni-sexual).
• Catkins upright, appearing with or shortly after the leaves on leafy peduncles (stems).
• Female catkins loosely flowered 3-5cm long, with one nectary per flower.
• Male catkins 1.6-2.5cm long, with 2 nectaries per flower

Seed:

• Fruit a dehiscent (splitting open) capsule containing numerous small seeds.

Not to Be Confused With:

• Many of the erect shrub Salix (Willow) species can be hard to distinguish from each other.
• Useing the Keys and especially the Character Chart Key on the Salicaceae (Willow Family) Page should help.

Physiology:

• Are insect pollenated. Both male and female flowers have nectaries to attract pollenating insects. Male pollen is also brightly coloured red or yellow to attract insects.
• Several types of galls can be seen on willows. These are deformations of plant tissue caused by the physical actions or chemical secretions of insects.
• Willow Roses are a type of gall that grows on some species of willow. It is caused by the larvae of Cecidomyia rosaria. The larvae through chemical secretions cause the leaves of the bud to grow in a rose petal like fashion.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial.

Seasonal Cycle:

• Leaves and catkins deciduous.
• Catkins appearing with or shortly after the leaves.

Animal Uses:

• In spring and early summer the catkins and young leaves are eagerly eaten by many mammals and birds.
• Moose, caribou and deer all eat the twigs and young branches.
• The twigs and bark are eaten by hares and lemmings.
• Willow is an important food for bears and a secondary food for beavers.
• Willow is an important food for many animals.
• Winter buds are one of the principle winter foods of ptarmigan and grouse.

Habitat:

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food: