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- Woody plants
- Broad-leaved woody plants
- Salix planifolia
Salix planifolia — tea-leaved willow
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Facts
N/A
Habitat
Alpine or subalpine zones, cliffs, balds, or ledges, mountain summits and plateaus, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, talus and rocky slopes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 20–65 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 5–23 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- purple
- red
- yellow
- Bud scale number
- there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
-
Flowers
- Anther color
-
- the anthers show no hint of a pink, reddish or purplish tint
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescences grow on the twigs
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is an ament (catkin; slender, usually pendulous inflorescence with crowded unisexual flowers)
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower lacks sepals and petals
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Sepal appearance
- NA
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Sepal tip glands
- NA
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- NA
- Stamen number
- 1 or 2
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
-
Leaves
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- at least some of the hairs on the leaf blade are reddish-brown, and they do not have glands
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 20–65 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- Leaf blade texture
-
- the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
- the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf blade width
- 5–23 mm
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf midrib glands
- the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf teeth
-
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
- the leaf blade margin is serrulate (with forward-pointing) or denticulate (with outward-pointing) with tiny teeth
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- alpine or subalpine zones
- cliffs, balds, or ledges
- mountain summits and plateaus
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
- talus or rocky slopes
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Pith shape
- the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- purple
- red
- yellow
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
ssp. planifolia
- New Hampshire
- rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)
Subspecies and varieties
Our subspecies is Salix planifolia Pursh ssp. planifolia.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
24. Salix planifolia Pursh ssp. planifolia NC
tea-leaved willow. Salix chlorophylla Anderss.; S. chlorophylla Anderss. var. nelsonii (Ball) Flod.; S. nelsonii Ball; S. phylicifolia L. ssp. planifolia (Pursh) Hiitonen; S. planifolia Pursh var. nelsonii (Ball) Ball ex E.C. Sm. • ME, NH, VT. Tarns, brooksides, ravines, seeps, cliff bases, and talus in alpine areas.
4×24. Salix argyrocarpa × Salix planifolia → Salix ×grayii Schneid. is a very rare willow hybrid known only from Mount Washington, Coos County, NH, in New England. It differs from S. argyrocarpa in being more robust, frequently with glaucous branchlets (later in season), and broader leaf blades that have sparser pubescence. From S. planifolia the hybrid differs in its revolute leaf blades and red to purple styles (those of S. planifolia are ± yellow).
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Salix argyrocarpa:
- leaf blades with revolute margins, aments coetaneous, and capsules 2-4 mm long(vs. S. planifolia, with leaf blades with plane margins, aments precocious, and capsules mostly 5.5-6 mm long).
Synonyms
- Salix chlorophylla Anderss.
- Salix chlorophylla Anderss. var. nelsonii (Ball) Flod.
- Salix nelsonii Ball
- Salix phylicifolia L. ssp. planifolia (Pursh) Hiitonen
- Salix planifolia Pursh var. nelsonii (Ball) Ball ex E.C. Sm.