308 WILLOW FAMILY. 



* * Flowers slightly earlier than the leaves but rather late in spring, on lateral 



catkins which have 4 or 5 leafy bracts at their base. 



S. COrdata. A common wild species along streams, badly named, as the 

 leaves are seldom heart-shaped at base and generally lanceolate, often tapering 

 to both ends, sharply serrate, smooth, pale or whiti>h beneath ; stipules on 

 young shoots conspicuous, ovate or kidney-shaped ; ovary slender-stalked, 

 tapering, smooth. 



* * * Flowers in loose calkins tcrminafinr/ leafy lateral shoot* of the season, tht-re- 



fore later than the leave*, in late sprint/ or early summer. 



S. Iongif61ia, LONG-LEAVED W. Wild on river banks N. : !o\v shrub or 

 low tree, with very long lance-linear nearly sessile sparsely denticulate leaves 

 grayish-hairy when young ; catkins with narrow yellowish scales ; the stalked 

 silky-downy ovarv bearing large stigmas. 



S. Babyloniba, WEEPING W. Planted from the Orient : a familiar tree, 

 with very slender drooping branches, and linear-lanceolate leaves white beneath ; 

 in. the monstrous variety called ANNUL.\RIS, HOOP W., curved into a ring. 



S. alba, WHITE W., commonly the var. VITELLIXA, with yellow twigs; 

 planted from Eu. ; a familiar tree; leaves lanceolate, serrate, white-silky under- 

 neath ; stipules lanceolate ; ovary nearly sessile and smooth. 



S. fragilis, BRITTLE W., from Eu. (so called because the twigs, used for 

 basket-work, &c., break off readily from their base, as in several other species) ; 

 large tree, with lanceolate taper-pointed leaves white but smooth beneath, half 

 heart-shaped stipules, and nearly sessile smooth ovary. 



3. Stami-n* 3-5 or more, separate : catkins late- flowering, terminating leafy 

 branches of the season as in the preceding species : stamens hairy : ovary 

 smooth : scales deciduous : leaves serrate, smooth. 



S. nigra, BLACK W. Low river-banks : wild tree, with rough black bark, 

 narrow-lanceolate taper-pointed leaves, 3-6 stamens, and short-ovate pods. 



S. pentandra, BAY W. A handsome tree, planted from Eu. for the deep 

 green very glossy lanceohite taper-pointed leaves, of the same hue both sides, 

 the large staminate catkins of golden yellow flowers also handsome : stamens 

 4-12, commonly 5 ; pods tapering. 



S. llicida, AMERICAN BAY W. Wild in wet ground N : very like tha 

 last, but a shrub, with shorter catkins on a less leafy short branch. 



2. P6PULUS, POPLAR, ASPEN. (Classical Latin name.) Fl. spring. 

 1. Buds not glutinous : leaves cottony, at hast beneath, even when old. 



P. alba, ABELK or WHITE P. Tree planted from Eu., with spreading 

 branches, roundish slightly heart-shaped wavy-toothed or lobed leaves soon 

 green above, very white-cottony beneath : spreads invetcrately by the root. 



2. Buds not glutinous : leaves cottony when developed, Imt .soon smooth and 

 green both sides : bark smooth and close, gnouak-wkite. 



P. tremuloides, AMERICAN ASPKN. Small tree, common in woods N. ; 

 with small roundish-heart-shaped leaves beset with small regular teeth; scales 

 of the catkin cut into 3 or 4 linear lobes, fringed with long hairs. 



P. grandidentata, LARGER AMERICAN ASPKN. Middle si/.ed tree, com- 

 mon in woods : the larger roundish-ovate leaves with coarse and irregular blunt 

 teeth ; scales unequally 5-G-cleft, slightly fringed. 



P. heteroph^lla, DOWNY POPLAR. Wet grounds, common only W. & 

 S. : tree 4i)-r>u high; Ie.?ves round-ovate or heart-shaped with the sinus 

 closed by the overlapping lobes, obtuse, serrate with incurved teeth, 3' -5' long, 

 white wool deciduous only with age, leaving traces on the veins beneath and on 

 the petioles ; fruiting catkins smooth. 



3. linds (/'at / nous with aromatic, nsin or balsam: I, -an* smooth from the first. 



P. dilatata, LOMIJAKDY P. StifVspiry tree, with closely appivsscd branches, 

 and small broadly triangular pointed leaves, formerly much planted, from the 

 Old World, thought to be a remarkable state of 



