314 Trees for Shade and Ornament 



States, hence thoroughly hardy, with short oval scalloped foliage, and 

 makes a good hedge plant. 



The two best known buckthorns, which, like the above, are either 

 shrubs or small (twelve feet) trees, are two exotics from Europe and 

 Asia, both entirely hardy, even in Manitoba: 



R. cathartica Linn. (310), Hartshorn, with sharply toothed, small, 

 slightly scalloped leaves, is usually thorny. 



R. Frangida Linn. (311), with dark green shining foliage of the same 

 size (one to three inch) as the preceding, but entire, forms a handsome 

 lawn shrub or an excellent hedge plant, with its attractive fruit, red, 

 changing to black. Its variety i?. asplenifolia (311a) excels in its dis- 

 tinctive feathery foliage. 



WILLOWS 



Salix. This is one of the largest genera, with some hundred species 

 and an endless number of varieties of medium to small-sized trees, but 

 mainly shrubs, of wide range in all parts of the world. Their orna- 

 mental value is not sufficiently appreciated. The fine, graceful foliage, 

 mostly narrow elliptical, gives to the willows a place as an ornament 

 peculiarly their own, and especially along borders of watercourses or 

 near w^ater scenes, where they are in their natural environment, they pro- 

 duce a translucent, airy effect which heightens the lucidity of the water. 

 There is enough variety of shade to be found in the foliage of the 

 various willows to permit most pleasing effects to be produced by the 

 grouping of this tribe alone. The bright yellow catkins of some, 

 the white, silvery "pussies" of others, lend transient interest; while 

 the bright yellow and red 'branches of some give pleasing winter effects, 

 and the weeping forms of others are useful in their places. Transpiring 

 profusely, they are useful in correcting swampy conditions, and their 

 value in binding embankments and sand dunes is well known. They 

 are rapid growers, but usually short-lived, and light-needing. In 

 nature they are generally found near watercourses, but they are 

 adaptive to dry soils, and most easily grown from mere poles, sprouting 

 readily and responding to pruning. There are unfortunately a number 

 of insects preying on willows. Some species of willows form suckers 

 undesirably and are generally aggressive, propagating by broken 

 twigs sprouting. Although their short life reduces their value, their 

 ready sprouting habit and exceeding rapidity of growth permits ready 



