IIandijook of Trees of the Nortiiekn States and Canada. 



The Black Willow is the largest and most 

 abundant of the American Willows, sometimes 

 in the forest attaining a height of 120 ft. with 

 trunk 3 or 4 ft. in diameter, but these dimen- 

 sions are attained only under most favorable 

 conditions and it is usually a tree of less than 

 half tlic dimensions above mentioned. When 

 isolated it develops a rather irregular broad 

 or roun<l-topped head with fine branchlets and 

 drooi)ing yellow-green foliage. It commonly 

 sends up clusters of crooked or inclined trunks 

 from a common base. It is a tree of very wi(i<> 

 distribution, skirting the low banks of streams 

 and lake shores from the Atlantic nearly to 

 the Pacific. It is very abundant in the ]\Iis- 

 sissippi valley and throughout the Atlantic 

 states, and attains its largest dimensions in 

 southern Illinois and in the Colorado River 

 valley in Texas. 



The light soft wood is said to check badly 



in drying and is little used save for fuel and 



for charcoal. A cubic foot when absolutely 



dry weighs 27.77 Ibs.i The bark is rich in 



tanning and is used in domestic practice in 



I the treatment of fevers. 



Leavcfi involute in the hud, lancpolato. some- 

 times falcati' (markedly so in var. fnU-iitu) very 

 Ion',; atlenuate often witti curved tip. .".-Ci in. Ions;, 

 wedge-sliaped or rounded at t)ase. finely serrate. 

 jjlahrous lijilit jrreen above, soniewliat paler and 

 sometimes pubescent on the veins beneath and 

 with the very sliort plandless petioles : winter buds 

 small, about Mi in. Ions;. Flotnrx pxijandin-j with 

 the leaves ; aments l-T in. long, terminal on short 

 leafy branchlets : .'scales ypllow, mnnded at apex, 

 ha'ry on inner surfnce : stamens o-T with filaments 

 hairy at base : ovary loni-ovoid. stalked, and with 

 thick nearly sessile sti-rmas. Fniit ( .Ttine-.Tidy ) : 

 capsules ovoid, pradnally narrowing above the 

 middle, about Vh in. lon^. short-stalked, glabrous. 

 S. niam falcntn ( Prush ) Torr. is a form, with 

 narrower and more falcate leaves gr(>en both 

 sides, ran.ging from Massachusetts to Ohio and 

 Florida. 



1. A. w., II, a:,. 



