THE WILLOWS OF ALASKA 323 



borne on branches of the season which are sometimes 2.5 cm. long 

 and commonly bear 3 to 5 leaves. The catkin scales are pale brown 

 to straw-colored, the ovaries white-toinentose, and the styles from .5 

 mm. long to almost nothing. The plant is a rare one in herbaria, 

 having been collected, so far as known, only near the mouth of the 

 Mackenzie River in British America (the type locality), on the 

 Porcupine River in Alaska, and on the northwestern shore of Hud- 

 son Bay. 



The specimens examined are as follows : 



Mackenzie River. — At a point 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle 

 Miss E. Taylor, 1S93. 



Porctipi7ze River. — At its junction with the Yukon, growing along 

 the margins of woods, Frederick Funston, 1894 (No. 185). 



Hudson Bay. — Near the mouth of Seal River, 40 miles (64 km.) 

 northwest of Fort Churchill, E. A. and A. E. Preble, 1900 (No. 26). 

 Identified by P. A. Rydberg. 



Dr. Rydberg based his description on a single fruiting specimen 

 collected by Miss E. Taylor, as above cited, and deposited in the 

 herbarium of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada. 

 Mr. Funston's material is in flower and full leaf, and includes both 

 pistillate and staminate specimens. This additional material necessi- 

 tates a change in the original description in only minor details, all of 

 which are included in the general characterization given above. The 

 staminate catkins in our specimens are about i cm. in length, and ex- 

 cept the exserted portions of the stamens, about 3 mm. in diameter, 

 with 2 stamens to each flower, the filaments smooth. The nearest 

 relative of the species among Alaskan willows is Salix glauca. 



12. SALIX ARBUSCULOIDES Anders. Little-tree Willow. 



Salix arbusculoides Anders. Kongl. Vet. Akad. Handl. IV. 6: 147. /. 8. f. 



81. 1867. 

 Saiix humillima Anders, in DC. Prod. 16°: 248. 1868. 



An erect shrub with reddish stems and narrowly elliptical -lanceolate 

 leaf-blades acute at both ends, smooth and bright green above, glaucous 

 beneath, the margins finely and closely denticulate throughout, the 

 lower surface with a permanent pubescence of straight, closely appressed 

 rather short hairs. The catkins, which appear with the leaves on short 

 usually leafy-bracted peduncles, are cylindrical and slender, the ovaries 

 pubescent. The species was described from specimens collected in 

 eastern British America at Prince Albert Sound and Rae River ; the 

 Labrador locality, also assigned the plant in the original publication, 

 is probably an error. None of the types has been accessible to the 



