Bebb willow

Leaves

Form

• Narrow to elliptic
• Tapering to both ends
• Upper surface wrinkled
• Hairy and prominent meshing veins on lower surface
• Stipules small, soon falling away; larger and persistent on vigorous shoots
• Young leaves hairy

Length

• 3–7 cm
• Stipules 1–5 mm

Colour

• Upper surface dull green
• Lower surface whitish

Margin

• Smooth or wavy, somewhat rolled under
• May be toothed in the basal part, especially on leaves toward the tip of the shoot

Petiole

• Hairy
• 3–10 mm long

Buds

Form

• Blunt, pressed against the twig, closely spaced
• Covered with a single scale
• No true terminal bud; end bud originates as a lateral bud
• Flower buds larger than leaf buds
• Leaf scars V-shaped, with 3 vein scars
• Stipule scars on either side

Colour

• Shiny brown

Twigs

Form

• Hairy when young, becoming hairless

Colour

• Reddish-purple to orange-brown, with age becoming darker

Flowers

Form

• Catkins on short leafy shoots
• Bracts narrow, pointed, sparsely hairy

Length

• Pollen catkins 1–2 cm
• Seed catkins about twice as long
• Bracts 1–3 mm

Colour

• Bracts yellowish or straw-colored
• Tips may be reddish

Structure

• Dioecious

Floral timing

• With the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Capsules long-beaked, sparsely hairy

Length

• 6–8 mm
• Stalk about as long

Bark

Form

• Furrowed on large stems
• Diamond-shaped patches often appear on a main stem

Colour

• Reddish-brown or greyish-brown when young

Size

Height

• To 8 m

Diameter

• To 15 cm

Maximum age

• 20 years

Tree form

Open-grown

Trunk

• Usually multistemmed

Crown

• Branches upright, then spreading

Habitat

Site

• Moist sites
• An understory species on limestone flats, jack pine sand plains, and other forest types

Range

Atlantic coast to British Columbia