Netleaf Willow

About Netleaf Willow in Alberta

Netleaf willow is a native Alberta alpine dwarf willow treated here as Salix reticulata, a circumboreal and arctic-alpine species with a very distinctive field profile. In Alberta it belongs mainly to Rocky Mountain alpine and subalpine settings such as alpine meadows, talus margins, rocky tundra-like benches, and snowbed-influenced microsites, not to ordinary lowland riparian or ornamental landscapes. For Ancient Roots Alberta, its relevance is ecological rather than monumental, centering on intact alpine willow mats, fragile high-elevation communities, and persistence in sensitive cold-climate habitats.

Identification: Leaves are broadly oblong to nearly circular and often almost as wide as long. The upper surface shows strongly impressed netted veins, creating one of the most distinctive leaf patterns in Alberta willows. Margins are entire or crenulate.

Alberta range and habitat: Netleaf willow is native in Alberta and should be treated as a high-elevation Rocky Mountain species. It is not a lowland wetland willow and not a practical urban planting species.