Blueberry Willow

More info for the terms: organic soils, severity

Fire severity affects the mode of willow postfire recovery. Following
light-severity fires most willows recover quickly, sending up new shoots
from undamaged root crowns. Few if any seedlings establish following
this type of fire because the partially consumed organic soil layers
comprise an unfavorable seedbed. Following severe fire, however, the
primary mode of recovery is seedling establishment. Severe fires that
burn into organic soils kill willows, but expose mineral soils which
provide excellent seedbeds [32].

blueberry willow
low blueberry willow
tall blueberry willow

More info for the terms: capsule, fruit, shrub

Blueberry willow's two varieties differ significantly in growth form.
Low blueberry willow is a much-branched, low-growing, and often
prostrate shrub typically between 8 and 24 inches (20-60 cm) tall. Tall
blueberry willow is an erect shrub often 6 to 8 feet (2.0-2.5 m) tall
but is occasionally taller [26]. Both varieties have relatively small,
simple, alternate, deciduous leaves. Male and female flowers occur on
separate plants in 3/4- to 2-inch-long (1.5-5 cm) erect or ascending
catkins. The fruit is a two-valved capsule [22,26].

Blueberry willow grows from interior Alaska east across northern Canada
to Hudson and James Bay and south to southern British Columbia and
southwestern Ontario. Outlying eastern populations occur on Prince
Edward Island, and in New Brunswick and Newfoundland [10].

More info for the terms: fire regime, root crown, seed, top-kill

Information on blueberry willow's ability to sprout following fire is
lacking. It is assumed that following top-kill by fire, this willow
sprouts from the root crown like most other species of willow. Viereck
and Schandelmeier [27] reported that even old, decadent willows produce
sprouts prolifically immediately after fire. The sprouting ability of
willows is apparently more vigorous and prolific than birches or alders
[27].

Blueberry willow's abundant, wind-dispersed seeds are important in
colonizing recently burned sites. The seed is dispersed in the summer
and remains viable for only about 1 week; thus the season of a fire
often determines if blueberry willow can establish during the first or
subsequent postfire years [27].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the term: bog

Low blueberry willow typically occupies poorly drained bogs, swamps, and
black spruce (Picea mariana) muskegs [10,26].

Tall blueberry willow occupies better drained sites. It is common in
willow thickets along streambanks and riverbanks, and also grows along
roadsides, lakeshores, and prairie margins [3,26]. It is common on
siltbars and sandbars of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers [26]. Frequent
associates include bog birch (Betula glandulosa), alder (Alnus spp.),
balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), and numerous species of willow
[3,25,26].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

1 Jack pine
12 Black spruce
16 Aspen
107 White spruce
201 White spruce
202 White spruce - paper birch
203 Balsam poplar
204 Black spruce
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
251 White spruce - aspen

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES44 Alpine

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest

More info for the term: top-kill

Blueberry willow is sometimes present as scattered individuals in black
or white spruce (Picea glauca) forests. Severe fires in these
vegetation types can kill willows by completely removing soil organic
layers and charring the roots [31]. Less severe fires only top-kill
plants.

Along the Tanana River in Alaska, tall blueberry willow was heavily
browsed by moose [29]. In other studies, however, low and tall
blueberry willow were lightly browsed by moose and considered an
unimportant dietary component [18,30].

Willows (Salix spp.) are generally a preferred food and building
material of beaver [1]. Willow shoots, catkins, leaves, and buds are
eaten by numerous small mammals and birds [13].

No blueberry willow community descriptions were found in the literature.

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

Blueberry willow is relatively high in moisture, protein, and caloric
content. In Alaska, blueberry willow is nutritionally similar to highly
preferred moose browse species. Mean nutrient values were as follows
[18]:

protein (%) fat (%) crude fiber (%) ash (%)
6.4 3.5 27.7 2.9

AK AB BC MB NB NF NT ON PE SK
YT

All willows produce salacin, which is closely related chemically to
aspirin. Native Americans used various preparations from willows to
treat tooth ache, bee sting, stomach ache, and diarrhea [14,19]. Native
Americans also used flexible willow stems for making baskets, bows,
arrows, scoops, and fish and muskrat traps [14].

In interior Alaska, blueberry willow is less palatable to moose than
Alaska willow (S. alaxensis), sandbar willow (S. interior), littletree
willow (S. arbusculoides), and tealeaf willow (S. planifolia ssp.
pulchra) [18,30]. In general, moose prefer most willow species over
birch (Betula spp.); aspen, poplar, and cottonwood (Populus spp.); or
alder (Alnus spp.) [30].

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In Alaska, low blueberry willow catkins appear after the leaves have
begun to develop. Seeds are dispersed during the growing season, about
mid-June [9,26].

In Alaska, tall blueberry willow catkins appear after the leaves have
begun to develop. Flowering is in early to mid-June, seeds mature in
late June to mid-July, and catkins fall in late July [26].

More info for the term: density

Blueberry willow's density probably increases shortly after burning.
However, it is shade intolerant, and density will decline as young trees
overtop it. Viereck and Little [26] noted that low blueberry willow
became locally abundant in the early successional stages that follow
fire in low-lying black spruce types. Tall blueberry willow seeded onto
clearcut and burned white spruce floodplain forests in interior Alaska
[33]. Burning on these sites exposed much mineral soil, which provided
excellent seedbeds for the invading willow.

More info for the terms: caudex, root crown, seed

survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind; postfire years 1 and 2
off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2

More info for the terms: adventitious, fruit, layering, root crown, seed

Blueberry willow's primary mode of reproduction is sexual. It produces
an abundance of small, lightweight seeds. Like most willows, it
probably begins seed production at an early age (between 2 and 10 years)
[13]. At maturity, the fruit splits open, releasing the seed. Each
seed has a cottony down that aids in dispersal by wind and water. The
seeds are dispersed during the growing season and remain viable for only
about 1 week without moisture. Viable seeds will germinate within 24
hours of dispersal on moist seedbeds [6]. In germination tests, 97 to
100 percent of blueberry willow (both varieties) seeds germinated within
1 to 3 days at temperatures between 50 and 77 degrees F (10-25 C) [9].
Exposed mineral soils provide the best seedbed [6].

Vegetative reproduction: Most willows are prolific sprouters. It is
assumed that blueberry willow also sprouts from the root crown or
stembase if aboveground stems are broken or destroyed by cutting,
flooding, or fire [13]. Detached stem fragments form adventitious roots
if kept moist. Thus, tall blueberry willow stem fragments transported
by floodwaters develop into new plants when deposited on riverbars
[3,8]. In muskegs and bogs, low blueberry willow commonly reproduces by
layering as the lower branches are overgrown with sphagnum [5].

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More info for the term: succession

Low blueberry willow is an early seral species that becomes locally
abundant following disturbances which expose mineral soil and create an
open canopy. It occurs in early seral stages following burning in
low-lying black spruce stands [26].

Tall blueberry willow is also seral. It is one of the first willows to
colonize recently deposited river alluvium on interior Alaska
floodplains. Floodplain willow communities are short-lived; thinleaf
alder (Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia) and balsam poplar typically
establish within 5 years of initial willow colonization. By 20 to 30
years, poplars begin to overtop the brushy canopy and dominate. By this
stage in succession, overstory shade has eliminated most tall blueberry
willows, but some may persist as scattered individuals [24,25].

Salix novae-angliae Anderss.
Salix novae-angliae Anderss. ssp. myrtillifolia
Salix novae-angliae Anderss. var. myrtillifolia
Salix pseudo-myrsinites Anderss.
Salix pseudocordata (Anderss.) Rydberg
Salix myrtillifolia var. pseudomyrsinites (Anderss.) Ball ex Hulten

More info for the term: shrub

The currently accepted scientific name of blueberry willow is Salix
myrtillifolia Andersson [5,10,15]. Two varieties are recognized based
on morphological differences:

Salix myrtillifolia var. myrtillifolia = low blueberry willow (a small shrub less than 24
inches [60 cm] tall)

Salix myrtillifolia var. cordata (Anderss.) Ball = tall blueberry willow (an upright shrub
between 3 and 10 feet [1-3 m] tall)

Tall blueberry willow is sometimes regarded as a distinct species S.
novae-angliae (Anderss.). This paper is consistent with Dorn [10], who
places S. novae-angliae in synonomy with S. myrtillifolia.

Blueberry willow is a northern species that grows throughout western
Canada and Alaska. Closely related plants in the contiguous United
States have been misidentified as S. myrtillifolia in some western
floras (Flora of Idaho [Davis 1952], Vascular Flora of the Pacific
Northwest [Hitchcock et al 1964]). Dorn [10], in his 1975 revision of
the Salix section Cordatae, showed these plants to be a distinct
species, and named them Booth willow (S. boothii Dorn). A Utah Flora
[28] and Field Guide to the Willows of East-Central Idaho [7], both
published since Dorn's revision, accept his taxonomy and use the name S.
boothii.

More info for the terms: reclamation, restoration

Willow stem cuttings are commonly planted for restoration of wildlife
habitat, streambank protection, and the reclamation of sites disturbed
by mining and construction [20]. Blueberry willow is apparently well
suited for these purposes. In the laboratory, blueberry willow stem
cuttings taken in the spring readily produced roots [8].

Salix myrtillifolia is a species of flowering plant in the willow family known by the common name blueberry willow. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs in Alaska and much of Canada.

This willow is a shrub with two growth varieties. Low blueberry willow (S. m. var. myrtillifolia) is a small shrub under 60 cm (24 in) tall. Tall blueberry willow is a larger shrub which grows upright and reaches a maximum height near 3 m (10 ft). The plant is dioecious, with male and female reproductive structures on separate individuals. The inflorescence is a catkin up to 5 cm (2 in) long.

This plant grows in coniferous forests in alpine climates. The smaller variety grows in swampy areas such as black spruce muskegs. Tall blueberry willow often occupies riparian habitat, forming thickets along waterways. It is common along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. It grows alongside many other willow species. It is a pioneer species, colonizing areas covered in recently deposited alluvium, such as floodplains recently scoured by flood waters.