THE WILLOWS OF OHIO. 275 



species, especially in winter when it is leafless. In summer the 

 long slender twigs sometimes give it almost the appearance of the 

 Weeping Willow from which, however, it can be easily distin- 

 guished by its leaves green, not glaucous The winter buds are 

 very small, le - than 3 mm. long, broadly ovate, acute, commonly 

 but not always without the mark of the leaf base across the back. 

 The leaves commonly are about 10 em. long by 1 wide, narrowly 

 lanceolate with a very long attenuate-falcate tip, mostlv very 

 finely serrate, green and glabrous on both sides. The character- 

 istic venation of the Amygdalenae is at its fullest development 

 in Salix nigra. The marginal vein often runs almost to the very 

 base and the secondaries and tertiaries blend into a system of 

 meshes tiner than in any other of our species. 



Sometimes broad, blunt leaves are found at the bases of 

 lateral twigs but they are still easily recognized by their tine re- 

 ticulation. The aments appear with the leaves, capsules glab- 

 rous, short conic, short pedicelled, forming thin close cylindric 

 catkins which, supported as they arc by the characteristic leaves, 

 mble those of no other species. The stamim emble 



very closely those of >'. amygdaloides (which - - stamens 5 or 

 more, filaments pubescent. 



Everywhere throughout the state, Salix nigra is our com- 

 le t willow. Hut it assumes a much more important role in 

 plant society along the southern border than further north. 

 There it attains its greatesl size and at the same time becomes 

 nnnh more abundant than elsewhere. For long distances along 

 the Ohio River it is almosl the only native willow met with and 

 occupies all the territory wlueh in the north is divided up between 

 era! species. 



So far as Ohio i- concerned it is perhaps the most constant 

 and easih nized of our willow, hut in the south it is aim 



ntical with S. humboldtiana and is rather hard to separate 

 from S. longipes. In the west it i represented by several 

 variable varieties which seem to conned it with related forms 

 and render it ;i very difficult subject indeed. 



I' typical habitat is alone i reams hut it may he found in 

 wet pi;. nerally though it seems to prefer moving I ignant 



water and is much more infrequent in swamps. 



The variet; "falcata" is a form with narrower more falcate 

 leaves. In my opinion it i cely worth ideration 



since ,t is no1 etically different but is merelj an accidental 

 leal variation without correlated variation in other char 



el i 



L( inary growth and of rai iwth with stipules; flov 



and fruit typical; natural ize; di of th< flowers and ca| 



i i .-mi. ra lui ida md | 



