THE WILLOWS. 117 



need description. There is a variety called annularis 

 (hoop willow), with leaves almost curved into rings. 

 Black willow. The black willow has rather rough, 

 Salix nigra. blackish bark, and a woolly-stemmed, 

 variable leaf which is most often attenuated lance- 

 shaped.* There is, besides, 

 a little stipule (leafy termi- 

 nal) at the junction of the 

 leaf stem with the branchlet, 

 though this may not always be 

 present. The branches are very 

 brittle at the base. The leaf is 

 commonly small, not much over two 

 inches in length, and when mature is 

 smooth, except beneath, on the midrib, which 

 is woolly. This willow is common on the 

 banks of streams and lakes. In salix nigra Black 

 var. falcata the leaves are extremely long, 

 narrow, and frequently scythe-shaped ; they are fur- 

 nished with stipules (leafy terminals to the leaf 

 stem) which do not fall off when the leaves are 

 young ; the edges are very finely and sharply 

 toothed. The black willow grows from 15 to 35 

 feet high. 



* I mean, for instance, wider nearest the base of the leaf, then 

 gradually narrowing to the tip; but one must not rely too much 

 on this form. The Leaves are very variable. 



