Nov., 1903.] Notes on Interesting Ohio Willows. 13 



SalIX BABYLONICA X S. FRAGIIvIS. 



This cross is commou in Europe but so far as I know has not 

 hitherto been reported in America. It is altogether to be expect- 

 ed and it is very strange that it is so scarce. As is well known, 

 Sa/i'.v babylonica exists in America — with extremely rare excep- 

 tions — only as a carpellate plant. The flowers, however, genearlly 

 seem to be fertilized for the capsules fill out well. The natural 

 inference is that the pollen came from either .S". alba or S. fragiiis, 

 the most closely related forms. If such be the case it is very 

 strange that these h3'bridized seeds do not grow into trees more 

 often than they do. 



The single plant which I was fortunate enough to find is grow- 

 ing in a quarr}' near Sandusk}', where it has taken root in a waste 

 place from which the stone has been removed. There are no 

 other trees near by, and neither of the parents was seen in the 

 immediate vicinity, though both are common in the region, Salix 

 babylonica as an ornamental tree planted in the city 3'ards, and 

 Salix jragUis as a very common escape. 



Its habit is striking, from a hundred feet away. When I first 

 saw it I commenced to wonder what it could be. The first 

 thought was Salix nigra. The leaves are narrow and about the 

 the same color as .S". nigra. But there is something which gives 

 an impression, when at a distance, different from ^S". nigra, though 

 you cannot tell what it is. When you get up to it you find the 

 leaves glaucous below ! It cannot be .S". nigra, it does not look 

 like S. amygdaloidcs, nor kS". alba, nor S. fragilis, and so you may 

 go over the catalogue successively den3dng it a place in any of the 

 species, so peculiar does it seem. 



Most of the twigs are long, slender, semipendent. The buds 

 on slender twigs are small, as in the weeping willow, on ranker 

 growth, larger, about midway between the two species. The leaves 

 on the upper branches are small, 6-7 cm. long, 8-10 mm. broad, 

 quite glaucous or only paler beneath, close and even, sharp serrate, 

 with a venation more irregular than that of Salix fragilis, pri- 

 maries close with a strong suggestion of a marginal. On water 

 shoots, the leaves approximate .S. fragilis more closel}' in form, 

 being long, 16 cm., and narrow, 2 cm., with more distinct teeth. 

 The veins, too, are more similar to ^. jragilis, but more irregu- 

 larity is evident and the marginal is still suggested. 



The flowers, especially if they were carpellate, would be very 

 interesting. They might show some peculiarities worthy of 

 note. The identification without them cannot be said to be as 

 positive as it might be. But the leaves are so closely intermediate 

 as to leave but little doubt. If it should turn out to be something 

 else it would be of even greater interest, for it is evidently very 

 different from anything else hitherto discovered in our Ohio flora. 



