THE WILLOWS OF OHIO. 293 
are somewhat narrower but so extremely wooly that neither sur- 
face of the leaf can be seen. It was from these that Prof. Rowlee 
took the type of the variety. These intermediate leaves shade 
into narrow tomentose forms which connect with the narrow 
glabrous leaves of the typical species. One might doubt, if he 
had not studied the plant in the field, that the broad glabrous 
leaves were the extreme form, were they not accompanied by an 
extreme in floral development which is more significant than the 
leaf characters on which Prof. Rowlee separated the variety. 
This is in the development of the secondary aments at the base 
of the terminal. In the variety the aments often form clusters 
of half a dozen, all opening at nearly the same time—a thing 
which is rarely seen in S. smterior itself. The flowering period is 
also distinctly later in the variety than in the species. On Cedar 
Point it seems to be at its height the first of July and continues 
into August. Fully 99 % of the plants on Cedar Point are stam- 
inate. To what the dearth of carpellate plants is due it is not 
possible to say at present. 
As yet the variety wheelert has been found in Ohio only at 
Painesville (H. C. Beardslee no. 67, fide Rowlee) and on Cedar 
Point where itis abundant. It possibly occurs all along the lake 
shore and possibly for some distance back into the country. But 
I was unable to find it in Ashtabula county though the conditions 
seem favorable. Its author limits its range to the basin of the 
Great Lakes. 
CAPREAE. 
Low trees or shrubs with leaves ordinarily broad in propor- 
tion to their length, generally glabrescent above, mostly tomen- 
tose beneath, catkins appearing very early, oftenest in pussies, 
capsules, in our species, villous. 
Key. 
From leaves. 
Leaves ordinarily very tomentose below especially on the 
rugose veins, venation strongly sunken above, northern. 
S. bebbiana. 
Leaves often glabrous, veins not strongly raised on the 
under surface, nor depressed above, when hairy often 
with red-brown hairs. S discolor. 
From flowers. 
Catkins appearing with the leaves or only a little while be- 
fore them, small at anthesis; scales yellow or darkened 
only at the tip, capsules narrowly cylindric, filaments 
not coarse nor long. S. bebbiana. 
Catkins appearing much before the leaves in large pussies, 
scales dark brown, capsules elongate-conic, filaments 
coarse, long. S. discolor. 
