THE WILLOWS OF OHIO. 295 
SALIX BEBBIANA Sarg. BEBB’s WILLOW. 
A shrub or small tree occasionally reaching a height of 8 
meters, with a habit almost exactly like that of S. discolor and 
conspicuously different from that of all of the other shrub wil- 
lows in that there is scarcely any tendency to sprawl, but the 
stems all ascend from the root. Leaves generally elliptical, 
varying from sharply serrate through undulate-serrate to entire 
or often slightly revolute, generally glabrescent above, wooly be- 
low at least on the veins, primaries and secondaries prominently 
raised on the under surface making them very conspicuous, pri- 
maries rather distant, inclined to be crooked and often forking. 
The whole system of veins strongly sunken from above. Catkins 
appearing just before or with the leaves, with leafy bracts or, in 
fruit, on leafy branches; staminate 3.5 cm. long or less; carpel- 
late sometimes 6 cm. in fruit; scales yellow or slightly darkened 
at the tip, pubescent, persistent in fruit; capsule long pedicelled, 
villous with white silky hair, cylindric, obtuse, sometimes 11 mm. 
long in fruit. 
Salix bebbiana is found across the northern third of the 
state. 
This species in its normal forms is very distinct from Salix 
discolor and can be separated from it withont the least difficulty 
but the western forms though most keep their flowers like the 
type, have leaves resembling those of S. discolor more or less 
closely; sometimes even so closely as to be indistinguishable 
from it. One of these plants from the middle west almost half 
way between the eastern and western forms of the species Dr. 
Rydberg has named S. perrostrata. Unfortunately, however, the 
difficulty in separating the two species, though worst in the west, 
is not confined to that region. Some specimens from Ohio are 
so nearly intermediate that they can scarcely be determined, but 
these are rare. There is no danger of any specimen with mature 
leaves or in fruit being confused with any other species than S. 
discolor for it resembles none, but both kinds of flowers, while 
the bracts are yet small, resemble those of S. petiolaris and the 
staminate are similar to those of S. candida. 
Plate VIII. Salix bebbiana. 
Typical specimens; two fruiting aments one with and the other with- 
out leafy bracts, natural size; capsule enlarged three times. 
