SALICACEAE 49 



maturity are conic, beaked, and densely pubescent with gray, 

 woolly hairs. They are about 14 inch long, and stand on distinct 

 pedicels that much exceed the floral glands. Flowering time is 

 late March in the southern part of the state and mid April in 

 the north. Fruit ripens about a month later, almost simul- 

 taneously w^ith the unfolding of the leaves. 



Distribution. — The Pussy Willow is a common shrub in wet 

 and swampy situations throughout northeastern North America. 

 It ranges from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia westward into 

 Saskatchewan and southward into eastern Delaware, Kentucky 

 and southern Missouri. It grows in all parts of Illinois. 



The variety eriocephala (Michaux) Andersson differs from 

 the typical form especially in having pubescent branches and 

 bud scales, but also its leaves are thicker, more distinctly lance- 

 olate, and pubescent beneath. It has the same range as the 

 typical form, and numerous collections indicate that it is com- 

 mon in Illinois. 



SALIX PETIOLARIS J. E. Smith 

 Slender Willow 



This willow, known generally by no common name though 

 sometimes called Slender Willow, fig. 6, is a few-stemmed 

 shrub or small, gray-barked tree 3 to 6 or even 10 feet high. 

 Its linear-lanceolate to lanceolate leaves, 2 to 4 inches long by 

 14 to ^ inch wide, are green and often shiny above but more 

 or less densely glaucous and reticulate-veiny beneath; thinly 

 pubescent with silvery hairs when young but glabrate or gla- 

 brous when mature. The leaves are acuminate at the tip and 

 acute at the base, and the margins are not revolute but are 

 finely glandular toothed. The petioles are rather slender, 

 brownish, and ]/4 to ]/z inch or more long. Stipules are not 

 present. The slender twigs are terete, dark brown, and gla- 

 brous to somewhat puberulent, and the branches diverge from 

 the stems at angles of about 45 degrees. The flat, blunt buds, 

 set above conspicuously raised leaf-scars, are orange brown to 

 brown, small, ovate, about one-sixteenth to 14, inch long, and 

 appressed to the stems. 



Catkins appear at the same time as the leaves. They are 

 bracted and bear linear to spatulate, acute-tipped, light brown, 

 thinly hairy scales. The nearly sessile staminate catkins are 



