BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Salix cascadensis
Cascade willow
| Scientific Name: | Salix cascadensis Cockerell | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Cascade willow | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | SALICAS | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Jul 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 3 - Sensitive (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | Cascades Willow is a low, mat-forming shrub with prostrate stems that arise from creeping underground branches. The firm, alternate, narrowly elliptic leaves are 10-15 mm long, have short petioles, mostly inconspicuous lateral veins, and entire margins. Foliage is sparsely long-hairy when young but becomes glabrous with age. Flowers are without petals and sepals and are borne in dense spikes (aments or catkins) at the tips of lateral branches; males and females occur on separate plants. Male flowers have 2 stamens. Female aments are 1-2 cm long with dark, long-hairy scales subtending each of the 12-25 ovaries. Fruits are glabrous to long-hairy, lance-shaped capsules that are 4-5 mm long. | ||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Diagnostic Characteristics: | SALIX ROTUNDIFOLIA and S. RETICULATA have elliptic leaves with more rounded tips. S. ARCTICA has larger female aments and leaves that are lighter beneath than above. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | |||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | |||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | |||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | |||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | B.C. to WA, east to MT, WY, CO, and UT. Sparse. | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | JM | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Nov 22, 1994 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Achuff, P. L. and L. S. Roe. 1992. Botanical survey of the Goat Flat proposed Research Natural Area, Deerlodge National Forest. Unpublished report to the Deerlodge National Forest. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 31 pp. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp. |
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Vanderhorst, J. 1994. [unpublished memo of November 13, 1994 to B. Heidel]. 6 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1994. Species Summary: Salix cascadensis. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Apr 17, 2026).