VIII. 2. PURSH'S WILLOW. 273 



eter. The trunk is covered with a very rough, scaly bark. 

 The recent branches are of a yellowish green, somewhat 

 downy, the older ones grayish. The leaves are on a very short 

 footstalk, silky-downy above. They are very long and narrow, 

 scythe-shaped, lanceolate, rounded or somewhat acute at base, 

 tapering gradually to an extremely long point, finely glandular- 

 serrate, smooth and shining, and of the same color on both sur- 

 faces, which are, by the twisting of the petiole, presented almost 

 equally to the light. The mid-rib is slightly prominent beneath 

 and somewhat silky above, and sometimes beneath. The ve- 

 nation is minutely reticulate, the secondary nerves scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable from the veins. Each leaf, before expanding, 

 closely embraces those within it, and is, at that time, covered 

 with a soft, silken down. The stipules are very conspicuous, 

 semi-lunar or ear -shaped, auricled, pointed above, nearly em- 

 bracing the new shoot, and glandular-serrate. The branches 

 slender, extremely brittle at base, even when an inch in diam- 

 eter, extremely tough above. Aments expanding with the 

 leaves, and borne on the end of a short, leafy branchlet, two 

 inches long, and having, on its lower half, four or five short 

 leaves. On the female anient, the scales are soon gone, exposing 

 the brownish, downy, but not silky stem : the seed-vessels are 

 nearly sessile, ovate acuminate, yellowish green, finally light- 

 brown, terminated by the two nearly sessile, black stigmas; 

 ripe, in Worcester County, in the beginning of July, or before. 

 In Middletown, according to Dr. Barratt, the flowers expand 

 May 18, and the capsules are ripe June 18. He says that this 

 tree is there smaller than the black willow, and the twigs are 

 finer ; and that the twigs are equally valuable, for fine wicker 

 work, with those of that willow. Pursh's willow is a more 

 northern tree than the black. 



The effect of the mass of foliage of Pursh's willow, in the 

 situations in which it is found, is striking and agreeable. The 

 softness of the light reflected from it, without the changeable- 

 ness. distinguishes it from the other willows ; and the great 

 length and slenderness of the stem give a peculiarly gentle 

 motion to the whole mass, when acted on by the wind. 

 36 



