Nov., 1903.] Notes on Interesting Ohio Willows. 15 



long hair, rather thinly, or are almost glabrous, this last suggest- 

 ing Saiix cordata. The leaves, however, show no sign of diverg- 

 ence from Salix scricca. 



Carpeliferous Filaments in Salix nigra. 



There is one class of willow freaks reported comnionl}^ by 

 others from other places which have escaped observation, if pres- 

 ent, in Ohio. The class contains those forms, certainly more 

 common in Salix than in almost an}- other genus, of plants which 

 have mixed up in some way their staminate and carpellate flow- 

 ers. All sorts of combinations and mixes of the two kinds of 

 flowers are reported. These forms would be very interesting to 

 experiment upon from a physiologcal point of view, as well as 

 anatomicall}^ for they might throw some light on the problems 

 connected with heredity and plasticity of cells. 



The plant is growing in the limestone bed of Jonathan creek at 

 White Cottage, Ohio. It is a shrub 8°-io° tall, with the usual 

 apperance of Salix nigra. At the time of collection, 23d of May, 

 it had passed its prime but an abundance of flowering mate- 

 rial was yet to be had. At first sight it looked as though it 

 was monoecious, with both sorts of flowers on one plant. Some 

 aments were normally staminate ; others were apparently all car- 

 pellate ; and still others were partly staminate and partly carpel- 

 late. But on closer examination it developed that none of the 

 ovularies had stigmas, but that in every case the j^lace of that 

 organ was taken by an anther. The ovularies, moreover, were not 

 one to a flower, but each scale supported several, sometimes as 

 many as five, but more often three or four. Sometimes they were 

 joined together at their bases and radiated in all directions like 

 prongs to some burr. Sometimes the stigmiform anther was 

 sessile without a style ; or the style might be quite long. Occa- 

 sionally the anther was supported on a long filament bearing a 

 conical thickening at the base. Again one carpel may bear two 

 stj'les, each with an anther. The anthers were all polleniferous 

 and functional ; not one appeared withered or blasted. None of 

 the carpels, however, under a low power, show developing ovules. 

 They are frequentl}- hairy-like filaments and were colored yellow 

 like them. It seems most rational to conclude that these pseudo- 

 carpels were homologous to filaments and were influenced in some 

 way to assume their thickened form. 



Summer-Flowering Willows. 



Occasionally when collecting, one meets with willows flowering 

 late in the summer. In the long-leaved wnllows this is no remark- 

 able thing, for they have a special adaptation to secure a long 

 flowering period. But in the other groups it is an occurrence rare 

 enough to call for note. During several seasons collecting four 



