66 WILLOW FAMILY 



Salix sericea Marshall 1785 Silky Willow 



Shrub, 5-12 ft. high, often with finely hairy twigs, leaves lanceolate, 

 pointed, tapering toward the base, the margin closely wavy-toothed, when 

 young sparsely hairy above and densely white-woolly below, smooth and 

 green above when mature, usually silky shining below, rarely less shiny 

 but apparently always hairy, 6-10 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, petioles 1 cm. 

 long; staminate catkins 1^-2 cm. long, 7-8 mm. wide, stamens 2, fila- 

 ments smooth, pistillate catkins 2-3 cm. long, 1 cm. wide in fruit, capsuk> 

 ovate-conic, densely gray-hairy; sericea, silky referring to the leaves. 



Not yet reported from a definite locality in Minnesota; Me-Va-Mich. 



Salix petiolaris J. E. Smith 1802 Slender Willow 



Shrub, 4-12 ft. high; leaves linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, margin 

 finely toothed, or wavy-toothed, sharp-pointed, tapering toward the base, 

 silky-hairy when young, smooth or somewhat hairy above when mature, 

 very glaucous below, 3-8 cm. long, j/2-1^ cm. wide, petioles usually 

 hairy, l / 2 -\ cm. long; staminate catkins 2-3 cm. long, stamens 2, filaments 

 smooth, pistillate catkins 2-3 cm. long, capsules long-beaked, finely hairy ; 

 petiolaris, petioled. In the variety gracilis, the leaves are linear- 

 lanceolate, and the pedicel nearly as long as the capsule. 



Along stream banks and wet meadows, rare northward; N 1>-Ya. Minn- 

 Mont- B.C. 



Salix discolor M u h I.e n b erg- 1803 Pussy Willow 



Shrub or low tree, 6-20 ft. high, 4-8 in. diam. ; bark brownish, scaly ; 

 leaves oblong or elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, coarsely wavy-toothed, 

 acute or sharp-pointed at tip, more or less rounded at the base, nearly 

 or entirely smooth when mature, green above, very glaucous below, prom- 

 inently veined, 8-15 cm. long, 2-5 cm. wide, petioles usually hairy. 2-3 

 cm. long; staminate catkins 3-4 cm. long, \]/ 2 cm. wide, stamens 2, fila- 

 ments smooth, pistillate catkins densely hairy, 5-6 cm. long, \ l / 2 cm. wide, 

 capsules large, long-beaked, hairy: discolor, referring to the contrast 

 between the two leaf surfaces. 



Common along streams and in wet places throughout the state: NS 

 NC-Mo-Minn. 



Wood brownish, soft, close-grained, weight 26 lbs. 



