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Grayleaf Willow

The Salix Glauca is commonly known as Glaucous Willow, Gray Willow, Gray-leaved Willow, Grayleaf Willow, as well as White Willow

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Growing Regions

Grayleaf willow grows throughout most of Alaska except for the Alleutian Islands and along the southeastern coast [35]. It grows through much of northern Canada from Newfoundland northwest to the northern Yukon Territory, and south to southern British Columbia and Alberta. In the contiguous United States, it grows in alpine and subalpine habitats in Montana, Wyoming, eastern Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and northern New Mexico [10].

     

General Information

The currently accepted scientific name of grayleaf willow is Salix glauca L. [3,18]. Because it exhibits considerable geographic variation across its extensive range, it has been divided into numerous varieties or subspecies. Argus [3] recognizes three varieties: var. villosa (Hooker) Anderson var. acutifolia (Hooker) Schneider var. glauca Alternately, Hulten [18] recognizes four subspecies: ssp. acutifolia (Hook.) Hult. ssp. callicarpaea (Trautv.) Bocher ssp. desertorum (Richards.) Anderss. ssp. glabrescens (Anderss.) Hult.

In Alaska and northwestern Canada, grayleaf willow dominates or
codominates numerous seral willow (Salix spp.) and mixed-shrub
floodplain communities.  Riparian community associates include Alaska
willow (S. alaxensis), littletree willow (S. arbusculoides), Richardson
willow (S. lanata), diamondleaf willow (S. planifolia), and green alder
(Alnus crispa) [34].  It also codominates in some mixed-shrub tundra
communities with birches (Betula spp.), alders (Alnus spp.), and other
willows [34].  In the Rocky Mountain States, grayleaf willow/tufted
hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) communities occupy well-drained, open
alpine and upper subalpine habitats [20,27].

Grayleaf willow occurs as scattered individuals in many boreal forests
and woodlands.  It is seldom an understory dominant, except in early
seral stages.  Douglas [11], however, described a 130- to 160-year-old
white spruce (Picea glauca)/grayleaf willow community in southwestern
Yukon Territory.

Classifications listing grayleaf willow as a dominant in community types
(cts) and habitat types (hts) are presented below:

       Area              Classification                Authority

AK                     general veg. cts          Viereck & Dyrness 1980
sw YT                  montane veg. cts          Douglas 1974
CO: Gunnison &         general veg. hts          Komarkova 1986
    Uncompahgre NF
UT, se ID              riparian cts              Padgett & others 1989 
Forest Service R-2     forest, shrub, grass      Wasser & Hess 1982 
                       & forb hts

Much of the information presented here is attributed to:
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1992. Salix glauca. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available at USDA Forest Service.

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