THE WILLOWS OF ALASKA 



325 



13. SALIX MYRTILLIFOLIA Anders. Myrtle Willow. 



Salix 7nyrtiUifolia Anders. Oefv. Kongl. Vet. Akad. Foerh. 15: 132. 1858. 

 Also Anders. Proc. Am. Acad. 4 : 74. 1858. 



A small,. trailing, rather than prostrate, willow, the branches often 

 standing erect for a decimeter or two above the ground. The leaf- 

 blades in our specimens are oblong, i to 2 cm. in length, broadly acute 

 or obtuse at base and apex, entirely smooth, evenly crenate about the 

 whole margin, on smooth petioles about 1.5 to 3 mm. in length. The 

 catkins appear with the leaves from lateral buds on old wood, the 

 short pubescent peduncles, i to 3 mm. in length, bearing usually 

 2 to 3 small leaves. The pistillate catkins are i to 2 cm. in length, 

 and about 4 to 5 mm. in diameter, the 

 scales short, black-tipped, and sparingly 

 hairv. The ovaries are smooth, lance- 

 olate, tapering into a short style .5 mm. 

 or less in length, the pedicel about twice 

 or three times the length of the nectary 

 and only a little shorter than the catkin 

 scales. The species is known only from 

 the interior of British America, the type 

 specimens being marked ''Rocky IVIoun- 

 tains, east side, low situations." It has 

 been found so close, however, to the 



Alaskan boundary, namely on the shores of Lake Bennett, Yukon, 

 J. B. Tarleton, 1899 (Nos. 4a, 4b), and below White Horse Rapids, 

 R. S. Williams, 1S99, that its occurrence in Alaska may be expected. 



From lack of specimens it has been impossible to give this species 

 the critical study it needs, particularly in the direction of establishing 

 its relationship to Salix fseudomyrsinites and Salix cu7'tiJlora. 

 These were published as species by Andersson in the same paper in which 

 myrtillifolia was published, but he afterward brought all three together 

 as varieties of his Salix novaca^igliae^ a treatment which has not been 

 followed bv recent i\merican students of Salices. 



Fig. 2: 



Anders. : 



Salix myrtillifolia 

 a, pistillate flower- 

 ing twig, natural size ; <5, pis- 

 tillate flower, enlarged six di- 

 ameters ; c, leaf, natural size. 



14. SALIX CFIAMISSONIS Anders. Chamisso Willow. 

 Salix chamissonis Anders, in DC. Prod. 16': 290 1868. 



A prostrate willow with obovate smooth leaves minutely and closely 

 glandular-serrate about the entire margin. It is the only normally pros- 

 trate willow of Alaska with glandular-serrate stipules. Its creeping 

 Vjranches and bright green leaves form rather dense patches in moist 



