EARLY WILD FLOWERS, CATKINS. 



15 



fence that borders the marshy meadow. The "pus- 

 sies," about an inch Jong, appear before the leaves in 

 earliest spring ; the sterile and fertile flowers are on 

 separate plants. The catkins, which eventually at- 

 tain a length of one and a half inches, 

 have brown scales which finally become 

 black ; they are clothed with long 

 shiny or silky hairs. The prevail- 

 ing color of the mature sterile 

 flower is the yellow of the pol- 

 len ; the fertile flower has a 

 softer, silky appearance, with less 

 of the yellow tone. The leaf at 

 maturity is from two to five 

 inches long and at least one inch 

 wide, irregularly and somewhat remotely toothed, 

 smooth, and bright green. The glaucous willow 

 grows from eight to fifteen feet high. 



The prairie willow (Salix humilis) is common on 

 dry and barren ground ; the small catkins are from 

 one half to one inch long, and they are frequently 

 bent downward or outward from the branchlets ; 

 they appear before the leaves, and are at first 

 silky gray and at last yellowish ; the scales are 

 dark brown. The leaf at maturity is from one 

 and a half to three inches long, lance-shaped, with- 

 out teeth, and the edge is often crinkly or wavy. 



Gray Willow Catkins. 



