120 FAMILIAR TREES AND THEIR LEAVES. 



grows to the dignity of a tree ; it is seldom over 15 

 feet high. The leaf is so pronounced in character 

 that I think few of us can fail to recognize it at a 

 glance; it is thin, leathery, large, deep olive-green 

 above, and whitish, blue-green below; when young 

 it is velvety on the under side, but this velvet tex- 

 ture is nearly lost as the leaf becomes older ; on the 

 upper side there is also an inclination toward downi- 

 ness. My drawing shows the edge of the leaf 

 scalloped rather than toothed, and the surface some- 

 what broken in lights and shadows. This willow is 

 common on roadsides and in moist or dry grounds 

 from Maine to Pennsylvania, westward and north- 

 ward. It may be found beside the streams which 

 wind through the valleys, and at an elevation of over 

 two thousand feet among the mountains of New 

 Hampshire. 



