42 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



Oak (Q. densiflora) which it quite closely resembles at a certain age. 

 The tree is occasionally planted for ornamental purposes, but not as 

 generally as its merits deserve. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not known of this species. 



ORDER SALICACEJE : WILLOW FAMILY. 



Leaves alternate, simple, undivided and furnished with stipules, which are either 

 scale-like and deciduous, or leaf-like and persistent. Flowers dioecious, both kinds 

 in catkins, one under each bract or scale of the catkin and destitute of both calyx 

 and corolla, or the former represented by a gland-like cup; ovary 1 to 2-celled; styles 

 wanting, or 2 and short; stigmas often 2-lobed. Fruit a I or 2-celled, 2-valved pod, 

 with numerous seeds springing from 2 parietal or basal placentae and furnished with 

 long, silky down; seeds ascending, anatropous, without albumen; cotyledons flat. 



Trees or shrubs of rapid growth, light wood and bitter bark. 



GENUS SALIX, TOTJRN. 



Leaves generally narrow, long and pointed and usually with conspicuous stipules; 

 bud scales single. Flowers appearing before or with the leaves in terminal and lateral 

 cylindrical, imbricated catkins, the scales or bracts of which are entire and each sub- 

 tending a flower, which is without calyx, and bears at its base 1 or 2 small nectiferous 

 glands. Sterile flowers with 2 (but sometimes more) distinct or united stamens. Fer- 

 tile flowers : ovary ovoid lanceolate, taper-pointed; style short; stigmas 2, short and 

 mostly bifid. Fruit a 1-celled pod, dehiscent at maturity by two valves which roll 

 back at the summit to liberate the numerous minute comose seeds. 



Trees and shrubs with lithe round branches and growing mostly along streams and 

 in moist localities. (Salix is from the Celtic sal, near and Us, water, alluding to the 

 favorite locality of the willows.) 



140. SALIX LAEVIGATA, BEBB. 

 CALIFORNIA BLACK WILLOW. 



Ger., Calif ornianisclie Scliwarze Weide; Fr., Saule noir de Calif or nie; 

 Sp., Sauce negro de California. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS:* Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acumi- 

 nate, 3-7 in. long and f-li in. wide, the earliest obovate with a mucronate point, 

 glabrous, dark-green glossy and prominently nerved above, paler or glaucous be- 

 neath, minutely serrulate; petioles downy, not glandular; stipules semicordate. 

 usually small or none. Flowers in leafy-peduncled, elongated, flexuose and rather 

 densely flowered aments; scales pallid, villous, dentate; in the male ament roundish- 

 obovate and eucullate; style obsolete or short; stigmas emarginate; scales in the 

 female ament narrower and truncate, with 2-4 irregular teeth at the apex, falling be- 

 fore maturity of the ament; stamens 3-5 with filaments hairy below. Fruit capsule 

 conical from a thick base, acute, glabrous; pedicel 3 or 4 times the length of the 

 nectary. 



Variety angustifolia has leaves narrower, taper-pointed, falcate, 3 or 4 in . long, 

 9 lines broad near the roundish base; approaching 8. nigra. It is found near Yerka, 

 Cal. Var. congesta has short densely flowered aments scarcely exceeding the 

 ample leaves of the peduncle; capsules globose conical, shortly pedicelled. 



(The specific name laemgata is the Latin for smooth.) 



One of the largest willows of California, it occasionally attains the 

 height of 40 or 50 ft. (15 m.) with a trunk 18 in. (0.4.5 m.) in diameter, 

 vested in a dark-gray bark, fissured into rough scaly ridges. 



* As elven by S. M. B Q hb. Esq., in the Botany of California, for whose elaboration of this difficult 

 genus the botanical world is indebted. 



