Salicaceae
Willow Family
Upland-willow
Salix humilis Marsh.
- Stem: perennial shrub; to 5’ tall; the new bark hairy.
- Leaves: alternate; oval-linear with tapering bases and pointed tips; blades 2” to 4” by 1/2”; petioles 3/16”, hairy; early season leaves smaller and wider above the middle; basal leaflets (stipules) oval-pointed, 3/16” long, sometimes not present; margins smooth or sometimes undulating; green-hairy above, gray-hairy below.
- Inflorescence: plants male or female; fuzzy catkins, 1” by 1/4” in diameter, near the ends of the branches; appearing before the leaves.
- Flowers: flowers without calyx or corolla; tiny bracts and numerous hairs attached at the base of each flower giving the inflorescence a fuzzy appearance; one pistil in the female flowers; several stamens in each male flower; flowering from early to late April.
- Fruits: hairy capsules, 5/32” long; splitting into two halves, releasing tiny seeds covered with long cottony hairs; fruiting begins in late April.
- Habitat: common on dry to moist prairies, sometimes in open woods.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
