44 



FLOWERS OF THE BOGS AND MARSHES 



As with the Crack Willow the White Willow is a sure indication of 

 moist conditions, and its favourite situation is by the waterside, what- 

 ever shape that may take, whether a stream, a lake, a marsh, or a 

 bog. But it is also a lowland plant, and is absent from dry conditions 

 generally. 



The White Willow is less lofty than the Crack Willow, with (in 



WHITK WILLOW (Srt//.r alba, L.) 



proportion) a stouter stem and the branches ascending, but tapering 

 and spreading, the twigs olive-coloured, silky, and hard. The bark 

 is fissured. The leaves are long, lance-shaped, finely toothed, bluish 

 below, downy or silky both sides, and glandular. The leaves are 

 arranged in spiral whorls. The stipules, or leaflike organs, are egg- 

 shaped, and fall. The lowest teeth are glandular. 



The flowers are in slender lax catkins, with hairy stamens and 

 deeply-cloven stigmas. The capsule is sessile. The scales of the catkins 

 are linear, and not so long as the stamens. The plant is dioecious. 



