THE WILLOWS OF OHIO. L )l .l."> 



Salix bebbiaxa 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 b' 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 1 1 mm. 

 1( mg 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 ran be separated from it without the least difficulty 

 but the western forms though most keep their flowers like the 

 type, have lea resembling tho e of S. discolor more or I 

 closely; sometimes even >sely as to be indistinguishable 



ni 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 ies, though worst in the west. 



is not confined to that region. Some specimens from Ohio are 

 o nearly intermediate that they ca i nined, but 



these are rare. There is no danger of any specimen with man 

 leaves or in fruit being confused with any other species than S. 

 discolor for it resembles none, but both kinds of. flowers, wl 



et small, resemble tho daris and the 



staminate are similar to those of S. Candida. 



Plate VIII. Salh bebbiana. 



Typical i fruiting; aments one with an with- 



a ural si ule < nlarged t hre< tin 



