Salix boothii

In Canada, Booth willow occurs in southern British Columbia and southern
Alberta. It extends south to the mountains of Montana, Wyoming
Colorado, Idaho, and Utah and westward through northern Nevada to
northeastern California and eastern Oregon [4,5].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont

CA CO ID MT NV OR UT WY AB BC

Salix pseudocordata (Andersson) Andersson ex Rydb.:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Salix myrtillifolia var. cordata (Andersson) Dorn:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Salix boothii Dorn:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Canada

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Global Range: Southern BC and AB, OR, CA, ID MT, WY, CO, UT, NV.

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

More info for the term: shrub

Booth willow is a native, multibranched, rounded shrub typically between
9 and 18 feet (3 and 6 m) tall [1,34]. On well-drained soils in Oregon,
Booth willow is broadly rounded and has many stems, but in bogs it is
dwarfed and has few stems [20]. At 10 years of age, Booth willow
reaches a height of approximately 8 feet (2.5 m). Stems reach
senescence between the ages of 15 and 20 years [20]. Male and female
flowers occur on separate plants in 0.5- to 1.5-inch-long (1-1.5 cm),
erect catkins [12].

More info for the term: root crown

High moisture requirements limit Booth willow to riparian and lacustrine
areas, and in bottomlands with a high water table, such as wet meadows,
fens, bogs, and swamps [1]. Booth willow is best represented in
riparian communities within the Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) zone
and sagebrush/grass valley habitats. It is also found in Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmanii) dominated streambottoms in the upper
Douglas-fir zone [1,34]. Booth willow is a transitional species between
low-middle and middle elevations and between middle and middle-high
elevations [1]. It can be found intermittently in the lower subalpine
zone [24,33]. Booth willow is shade intolerant and grows best in full
sunlight [1,14].

Elevational range: The elevational range for Booth willow in several
states is as follows [1,24,34]:

Utah: 5,300 to 10,300 feet (1,615-3,140 m)
Idaho: 7,400 to 8,800 feet (2,255-2,685 m)
Wyoming: 5,900 to 7,800 feet (1,800-2,380 m)
Nevada: 5,800 to 8,300 feet (1,770-2,532 m)

Soils: Booth willow is usually found on moist sandy or gravelly soils
but is adapted to a wide variety of soil textures [12,24]. The general
soil pH range for willows is 5.5 to 7.5. Booth willow will tolerate
moderately alkaline soils but does poorly in strongly acidic or alkaline
conditions [14]. Growth of Booth willow is severely reduced when water
levels are maintained at or above the root crown for extended periods.

Plant associates: Booth willow is commonly associated with the
following species: Geyer willow, Drummond willow (Salix drummondiana),
thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia), redosier dogwood (Cornus
stolonifera), water birch (Betula occidentalis), beaked sedge (Carex
rostrata), water sedge (C. aquatilis), bluejoint reedgrass
(Calamagrostis canadensis), mountain big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata
ssp. vaseyana), bearberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), wood's
rose (Rosa woodsii), false-Solomons-seal (Smilacina stellata), field
horsetail (Equisetum arvense), bluegrass (Poa spp.), and sweet scented
bedstraw (Gallium triflorum) [1,2,12,24,34].

More info for the terms: codominant, shrub

Booth willow dominates or codominates early seral willow communities
along riverbanks, streambanks, overflow channels, and seeps
[1,12,20,34]. Published classifications describing Booth willow as a
dominant or codominant in community types are listed below:

Summary flora of riparian shrub communities of the Intermountain region
with emphasis on willows [11].
Riparian community type classification of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming [34].
Preliminary riparian community type classification for Nevada [24].
Riparian dominance types of Montana [12].
A Riparian community classification study [33].
Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho [28].

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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):

FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES44 Alpine

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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):

206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
217 Aspen
218 Lodgepole pine
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
222 Black cottonwood - willow
235 Cottonwood - willow
238 Western juniper

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

K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K055 Sagebrush steppe

Comments: Along streams and in swampy or wet areas from sagebrush places near the mountains to near subalpine areas. Riparian and wet meadows at 2075-3050 m.

More info for the term: succession

Prescribed burning of Booth willow stands is an effective method of
rejuvenating decadent clumps and stimulating sprouting [25]. Fires
increase the amount of browse available for herbivores because browse
species such as willow proliferate in early postfire succession [14].

More info for the terms: fire severity, severity, shrub

Booth willow is a fire-tolerant shrub that has a short postfire
regeneration period [19]. Its seeds need a nutrient-rich mineral
seedbed to germinate. The chance of Booth willow establishing after a
fire lessens as available mineral soil seedbeds become occupied by
faster growing herbaceous species and mosses [3]. 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 [35].

More info for the term: top-kill

Light to moderate fires top-kill Booth willow. Severe fires can kill
willows completely by removing soil organic layers and charring the
roots [14].

More info for the terms: ground residual colonizer, root crown, secondary colonizer, shrub

Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: root crown, shrub, top-kill

Booth willow is a fire-tolerant shrub. It sprouts readily from the root
and root crown following top-kill by fire, especially in wetter stands
[13,22]. It produces numerous, minute seeds that are dispersed by wind,
and are important in colonizing recently burned areas [14]. Slow-moving
fires are more damaging to the roots and root crown of Booth willow than
are quick, hot fires; therefore the latter result in more sprouts [13].

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More info for the term: xeric

Obligate Initial Community Species

Booth willow is found in early to mid seral plant communities. It is a
pioneer species on recent alluvial deposits and on recently disturbed
sites [34]. In Montana, the successional trend on former beaver ponds
or stream channels is from open water to beaked sedge or water sedge
communities to eventual codominance by Booth willow and other willow
species. If the stand dries out, Booth willow will be replaced by
species better adapted to more xeric conditions [12]. Booth willow has
low shade tolerance and therefore loses dominance on sites that are
heavily forested or succeeded by more shade-tolerant species [14].

More info for the terms: aerenchyma, capsule, cover, dehiscent, dioecious, formation, root crown, tree

Sexual reproduction: Booth willow is dioecious. The fruit is contained
in a dehiscent capsule that releases many seeds. Seeds are dispersed by
wind or water. Optimum seed production occurs between 2 and 10 years
[1,14]. The seeds of Booth willow are short-lived and require newly
deposited or recently scoured sand or gravel bars for germination [16].
Germination is inhibited on sites with a continuous cover of tree litter
or those with indirect sunlight [3,14]. Seed germination occurs over a
broad temperature range, 41 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (5-25 deg C). This
appears to be a compensatory mechanism because of the short seed life
[3].

Vegetative reproduction: Booth willow sprouts readily from the root
crown or basal stem. Booth willow will sprout vigorously following
cutting regardless of cutting season, but vigor is more pronounced if
cutting occurs during the dormant season [3,14]. Booth willow is highly
tolerant of frost and flooding. One adaptation under these conditions
is the formation of a soft, spongy tissue called aerenchyma. This
tissue enlarges the lenticels in the stems and permits more efficient
gas exchange and regeneration of roots. Growth is severely limited when
water levels are maintained at or above the root crown. Adventitious
rooting will occur above the flooded soil [20].

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

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Booth willow flowers in late spring or midsummer, from May to June. The
fruit ripens soon after plant flowering, followed by seed dispersal in
late July and early August [14,35].

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 16
Specimens with Barcodes: 22
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: T5 - Secure

Winter willow (Salix spp.) browsing by ungulates limits seed production
by (1) removing flower buds developed the previous fall; (2) stimulating
the plants to increase production of vegetative growth, thereby
allocating resources needed for reproductive growth to vegetative
growth; and (3) limiting the size of plants, which limits the number of
seeds produced. In Yellowstone National Park, ungulate browsing has
almost eliminated willow seed production and, therefore, almost
eliminated willow populations. Protection from browsing for at least 3
years is essential for the establishment of Booth willow [18].

Overgrazing by livestock can threaten riparian ecosystems unless
management practices favor their protection [24]. Soil surfaces may be
churned by livestock when moist, resulting in soil compaction,
streambank sloughing, and damage to vegetation [13].