Participant Info

Species

Salix monticola [Salix cordata var. monticola] [Salix padophylla] [Salix pseudomonticola]

Family

Salicaceae

CommonName

mountain willow

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1900

LatestDate

2020

Ecosystem

montane, subalpine

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

Elwood, North, Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Great Sand Dunes

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell, Rio Grande Co., upper end of Million Reservoir, west of South Fork, 22 May 2020

Comments

As its name indicates, mountain willow is recorded from the Watershed montane, both the San Juans and the Cristos, typically growing in thickets near streams but ranging on up rocky slopes to the edge of woods. Judging from New Mexico records, Salix monticola is probably present (just not recorded) from the Culebras of the Watershed. Its USA range is Arizona, New Mexico, southern Wyoming, Colorado, and northern New Mexico. It follows the Rio Grande drainage down to Santa Fe Co but no farther. Kittel (2023) says that S. monticola is most easily confused with S. ligulifolia (which she calls S. eriocephala subsp. mackenieana var. ligulifolia), and the the best distinguishing trait is the shorter style in S. monticola (>0.7mm).

Annotation