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Willow rose
Salix barclayi
63.5344, -149.933
Field Notes
Description:
Delicate flowering vegetation, low to the ground. The Camellia gall, or terminal rosette gall, occurs on Salix species, which are prone to galls in general. "Rabdophaga rosaria [the gall midge]... lays her eggs in the end bud of Barclay's willow along with enzymes that cause the newly forming leaves to grow into this rose-like pattern with a fleshy interior that the maggot can eat." If I were to dissect the gall, an orange larva would be found inside! The adult midge erupts in the spring time.
Habitat:
Grows in the high alpine tundra of Denali National Park and Preserve. This is a subarctic region at elevation > 3300'.
Notes:
Some information directly quoted in the description was taken from: http://lscottranger.blogspot.com/search?q=willow+rose
Fascinating details about the "Story of the Willow Rose":
http://www.akentsoc.org/doc/Bowser_ML_et_al_2018.pdf
Lastly, here's information on the gall midge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabdophaga_rosaria
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