''Salix geyeriana'' is a species of

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

known by the common names Geyer's willow, Geyer willow and silver willow. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

was collected by the botanist

Karl Andreas Geyer Karl (Charles) Andreas Geyer (30 November 1809 – 21 November 1853) was a German botanist who was a native of Dresden. Biography As a teenager, Geyer worked as an apprentice-gardener in Zabeltitz, and in 1830 became an assistant at the botan ...

, for whom it was named. Its conspicuous, yellow flowers begin to bloom as early as March, to as late as the end of June.

Description

''Salix geyeriana'' is a shrub growing up to tall, sometimes forming dense colonial thickets. The leaves are narrowly or widely lance-shaped and may grow over 7 cm long. Young leaves are coated in white or pale silky hairs, and some adult leaves retain their hairy textures. The leaves generally lack

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s or have only

vestigial Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. Assessment of the vestigiality must generally rely on co ...

ones. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a spherical or slightly elongated catkin usually not more than about 2 cm long. This species reproduces sexually by seed, as well as

vegetatively Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...

, by sprouting from the stem or sections of the stem, which contain early root structures that readily sprout when buried in moist substrate.

Habitat

''S. geyeriana'' grows in moist and wet habitat types, such as lakesides, riverbanks, and bogs.

Distribution

''S. geyeriana'' is native to western North America. It is distributed from western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

; through the US in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

; central

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

; western

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

; eastern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

;

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

; and northern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

; to southern and western

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

; through central

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

; eastern and central

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

; and western

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. It is found in the Great Basin region, and in the mountains in the High Cascades, the Rockies, the northern and southern High Sierra Nevada, and the San Bernardino Mountains. Populations are especially dense over the Kern Plateau.

Hybrids

The lack of stipules and small, stubby catkins help identify this species; however, it easily hybridizes with many other willows in the wild; the daughter plants differ in morphology. The most widely distributed natural hybrid is ''S. geyeriana'' × ''S. lemmonii''. It is known from British Columbia (in the vicinity of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

), Oregon (in

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

and

Lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

counties), and California (in Lassen and Sierra counties). Hybrids with ''S. bebbiana'' are known from Montana (collected from Beaverhead County); those with ''S. pedicellaris'' are known from Washington; and those with ''S. irrorata'' and ''S. ligulifolia'' are known from Arizona.

Wildlife value

''S. geyeriana'' is browsed in the wild by

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

(''Alces alces'') and

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

(''Cervus canadensis'') in all seasons, but is essential during winter.

Grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondria ...

(Phasianidae subf. Tetraoninae),

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

s (Anatidae), and other small birds, and small mammals regularly consume the buds, catkins, shoots, and leaves of ''G. geyeriana''; and it is one of many ''Salix'' species used in the construction of

beaver dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

s for

North American beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America ( Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland ...

s (''Castor canadensis'').

References

External links

Washington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5226125 geyeriana Plants described in 1858 Flora of Western Canada Flora of British Columbia Flora of Arizona Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of New Mexico Flora of Oregon Flora of Utah Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Wyoming Flora without expected TNC conservation status