Barclay's Willow

About Barclay's Willow in Alberta

Barclay's willow is a native Alberta shrub of cool moist mountain, foothill, and northern wetland settings, not a prairie river willow and not a mainstream urban planting species. For Ancient Roots Alberta, it matters through intact fens, wet openings, lake and stream margins, and subalpine to alpine landscapes where native shrub communities persist with high ecological integrity.

Identification: Leaves are oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, usually about 33-70 mm long but sometimes to 100 mm. Margins are consistently serrulate, not usually entire, and may be flat or slightly revolute. The lower surface is glaucous and nearly glabrous, while the upper surface may be slightly glossy or dull, with a pilose midrib. Juvenile leaves can be reddish and more densely hairy.

Alberta range and habitat: Barclay's willow is native in Alberta and should be treated primarily as a wild mountain, foothill, and northern wetland shrub. It is not one of the main southern prairie river willows.