314 OHIO STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
culiar leaves. It it necessarily quite local in its distribution but 
probably grows in most of the sphagnum bogs in the state. 
There are specimens in the state herbarium from Williams and 
Portage counties and from the Licking Reservoir. 
I am informed by Mr. P. A. Rydberg that the typical S. 
myrtillordes of Linneus was a European plant and that it differs 
slightly but constantly from the American species, hitherto con- 
sidered as the variety pedicellaris, which should consequently 
be considered distinct. 
As stated above Salix pedicellarts is easily distinguished from 
all the other species with which we have to deal. But more than 
once I have strongly suspected it of hybridising with S. discolor 
which occupies the same territory. But so far I have not yet 
been able to satisfy myself of the hybridity and so leave the 
question in abeyance. 
PURPUREAE. 
Shrubs, leaves mostly oblong, oblanceolate or linear-oblan- 
ceolate, nearly entire, glabrescent, stamens more or less perfectly 
united into one with 4 anthers, capsules globose-conic, nearly 
sessile, silky. 
SALIX PurPUREA L. PuRPLE WILLOW. 
A shrub reaching a height of about 3 m. putting forth a 
dense growth of slender wands from the larger branches. Leaves 
scattered or opposite, sometimes 10 cm. long and 2 cm. broad, 
oblong-oblanceolate, oblong or rarely elliptical, mostly broadest 
above the middle, abruptly acute, generally gradually narrowed 
to the round base, entire or obscurely serrate, glabrous, dark pur- 
plish-green, paler beneath, petioles short, stipules apparently 
absent. Catkins expanding from pussies, sessile with a few small 
green bracts, scales more or less pilose on the back, oblong, blunt 
with conspicuously purpled tips, very concave above and strongly 
reflexed in the staminate, less so in the carpellate, capsule broadly 
ovoid, silky, sessile, style very short or none. 
Salix purpurea is an Old World species planted in America largely 
for its twigs which are much used in basket work. It has been 
long reported in the manuals as escaped in this country but 
though it is fairly common over the state it is rarely that one sees 
a clump growing in a place where it would not likely have been 
planted. It certainly has not esceped to any such degree as have 
S. alba and S. fragilis. In America the carpellate plant is very 
rare and the species is mostly propogated by cuttings. This may 
account for its inability to spread as in the case of Salix babylon- 
1ca. 
