Participant Info

Species

Salix nivalis [Salix reticulata var. nivalis] [Salix saximontana]

Family

Salicaceae

CommonName

snow willow

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1900

LatestDate

2017

Ecosystem

subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

SSawatch, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

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

Passes

Cochetopa, Grayback, Gunsight, Spring Creek, Stony

WildlifePreserves

Great Sand Dunes

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, Grayback Pass (in seed) 16 Aug 2017

Comments

Snow willow is a dwarf shrub forming clonal mats in the alpine all around the Valley. Some authors treat this species as a variety or subspecies of Salix reticulata, but FNA separates the two. The USA distribution includes states west of the Great Plains, very spotty, restricted to tundra, suggesting the plant may be a glacial relict. It follows the Rio Grande drainage down to Santa Fe Co, New Mexico, but not farther down stream.

Annotation