SALIX 481 



Kerncr. It is a handsome willow with dark purplish brown shoots, and 

 oblong-obovate leaves, up to 4 ins. long and i in. wide; silky when young, 

 soon becoming nearly smooth. It is a female, and the catkins are cylindrical, 

 \\ to if ins. long, 'i in. wide, and rather .striking when they appear in 





S. DISCOLOR, Muehlenberg. PUSSY WILLOW. 



A shrub or low tree not more than 25 ft. high; young shoots purplish 

 brown, at first downy. Leaves oblong, oval, or obovate, tapered at both 

 ends, toothed except towards the base; 2 to 5 ins. long, to i^ ins. wide; at 

 first somewhat downy, soon becoming smooth, bright green above, and blue- 

 white beneath; stalk J to i in. long. Catkins opening in March and April on 

 the leafless shoots; males up to i^- ins. long, cylindrical; stamens two, with 

 smooth stalks; female catkins up to 3 ins. long in fruit. 



Native of the eastern United States and Canada; introduced in 1811. It 

 is rather striking in its deep brown branchlets and very glaucous under- 

 surface of the leaves. 



S. FRAGILIS, Linnceus. CRACK WILLOW. 



(S. Russelliana, Smith ; S. monspeliensis, Forbes.') 



A tree 80 to 90 ft. high, with a rough corrugated trunk ; branchlets 

 growing at an angle of 60 to 90 to those from which they spring ; young 

 shoots smooth. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 2 to 7 ins. 

 long, to i^ ins. wide ; tapered at the base, the apex drawn out into a 

 long, slender point ; distinctly and regularly toothed (more coarsely in the 

 male) ; usually somewhat silky at first, soon becoming smooth ; stalk J to 

 f ins. long. Catkins 2 to 2^ ins. long, produced in April and May on 

 short leafy shoots. Stamens two, hairy at extreme base only. Ovary much 

 tapered ; fruit stalked. 



Native of Europe, including Britain, and parts of N. Asia. It obtains its 

 common name from the readiness with which the twigs snap off in their 

 entirety at the joint when bent. It is allied to and connected by intermediate 

 forms with S. alba, differing chiefly in the wider angle of its branching, its 

 larger, smooth, greener leaves, and its stalked, more elongated ovaries. It 

 produces a useful reddish timber, used for various purposes where a wood 

 that is tough and capable of withstanding much friction is needed. It 

 has been used for wheelbarrows and cart bottoms. Cheap cricket-bats 

 are also made from it; manufacturers know it as the "open-bark" 

 willow. 



Var. BASFORDIANA (S. basfordiana, Salter; S. sanguinea, Scaling}. A 

 variety found by Mr Scaling of Basford, Notts, in the Ardennes about 1863. 

 Its most distinctive character is the "brilliant orange, passing to red," of the 

 shining bark of the twigs. 



The crack willow and all the forms that belong to it make handsome 

 bushy-headed trees. 



S. DECIPIENS, Hoffmann, is now generally regarded as a hybrid between 

 S. fragilis and S. triandra, although many authorities have considered it a 

 variety of S. fragilis merely. From that species it differs in being a bush or 

 small tree only; it branches at a narrower angle, the twigs are not so brittle, 

 and have a very polished, even varnished appearance the second year. Leaves 

 smaller and broader in proportion, duller green. From the rich red bark of 

 its branchlets it is sometimes known as " Cardinal willow " (S. cardinalis). 

 The basket-makers know it as " Belgian Red Willow." 



