''Salix arbusculoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the willow family known by the common name little tree willow. It is native to northern North America, where its distribution extends across

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

and most of

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 ...

.Esser, Lora L. 1992
''Salix arbusculoides''.
In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. This

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 ...

is a shrub or

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing up to 9 meters tall. It has many branches with smooth gray or reddish-brown bark. The leaves are up to 7.5 centimeters long and often have a thin coat of hairs on the undersides. Immature leaves have thicker coats of hair and are paler and yellowish in color. The leaves have toothed edges that are studded with glands that function as resin glands as well as

hydathode A hydathode is a type of pore, commonly found in angiosperms, that secretes water through pores in the epidermis or leaf margin, typically at the tip of a marginal tooth or serration. Hydathodes occur in the leaves of submerged aquatic plants suc ...

s.''Salix arbusculoides''.
Flora of North America. This species is dioecious, with male and female catkins borne on separate individuals. The flowers are

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

by insects, especially bees. This plant grows in forests and open meadows. It dominates or codominates willow communities, particularly in interior Alaska and parts of the Northwest Territories. It can grow on the

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...

above the timberline. It is often found near rivers and streams and on

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s, forming dense

thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in t ...

s near water. It can be found in spruce woodlands and muskegs. Associated species include black spruce (''Picea mariana''),

white spruce White spruce is a common name for several species of spruce ('' Picea'') and may refer to: * ''Picea glauca'', native to most of Canada and Alaska with limited populations in the northeastern United States * '' Picea engelmannii'', native to the ...

(''Picea glauca''),

paper birch ''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper like ...

(''Betula papyrifera''), resin birch (''Betula glandulosa''), mountain alder (''Alnus Viridis Crispa''), thin leaf alder (''Alnus incana tenuifolia''), Scouler willow (''Salix scouleriana''), Bebb willow (''Salix bebbiana''), blue joint reedgrass (''Calamagrostis Canadensis''), Cladonia lichens,

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

, and mosses. This is an early seral species that colonizes freshly disturbed habitats, such as floodplains recently scoured by floodwaters. The seeds germinate immediately when they are deposited upon moist substrate, and the plant grows best on wet

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. ...

. It also commonly sprouts up in recently burned areas. It can grow on other types of disturbed habitats, such as roadsides and mine sites. It does not tolerate shade and will be shaded out as the habitat transitions to the forest when other trees begin to grow. This plant provides food for many animals, such as

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 ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

, caribou,

snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sin ...

s, beavers, and small mammals and birds. It is especially palatable to moose, and it is nutritious. The plant also provides cover when it forms dense thickets. When it grows along waterways it provides overhangs for fish to hide under.

Medicinal uses

This plant was used medicinally by the Eskimo for ailments such as skin sores and watery eyes.''Salix arbusculoides''.
University of Michigan Ethnobotany. Native Americans used parts of willows, including this species, for medicinal purposes, basket weaving, to make bows and arrows, and for building animal traps. It is a species of

diamond willow Diamond willow is a type of tree with wood that is deformed into diamond-shaped segments with alternating colors. This is most likely the result of attack by a fungus ('' Valsa sordida'' and possibly others), which causes cankers to form in the wo ...

and can be used for

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

References

External links

The Nature Conservancy
*Dominique M. Collet (2004)
Willows of Interior Alaska
US Fish and Wildlife Service {{Taxonbar, from=Q7404881 arbusculoides