237. SALIX LASIANDRA WESTERN BLACK WILLOW. 35 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood quite heavy, hard, strong, with fine 

 medullary rays and ducts uniformly distributed. Specific Gravity, 

 0.6030; Percentage of Ash, 0.30; Relative Approximate J^uel Value, 

 0.6012; Coefficient of Elasticity, 92424; Modulus of Rupture, 806; 

 Resistance to Longitudinal Pressure, 391; Resistance to Indentation, 

 127; Weight of a Cubic Foot in Pounds, 37.58. 



USES. A valuable wood for all the uses to which the Canoe Birch 

 is applied, as in the manufacture of wooden ware, furniture, etc., 

 though not abundant enough to be available in large quantities. 



ORDER SALIC ACEJE: 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 1 or 

 2-celled, 2-valved pod, with numerous seeds springing from two parietal or basal 

 placentsB and furnished with long, silky down; seeds ascending, anatropous, 

 with albumen; cotyledons flat. 



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



GENUS SALIX, TOURNEFORT, 



Leaves generally narrow, long and pointed and usually with conspicuous stip- 

 ules; 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 subtending 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. Fertile flowers: ovary ovoid lanceolate, caper-pointed ; 

 style short; stigmas 2, short and mostly bifid. Fruit a 1-celled pod, dehiscent 

 at maturity by two valves which roll back to the summit to liberate the numer- 

 ous 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, allud- 

 ing to the favorite locality of the willows.) 



237. SALIX LASIANDRA, BENTH. 

 WESTERN BLACK WILLOW. 



Ger., Westliche Schwarzweide ; Fr., Saule noir occidental; Sp., 

 Sauce negro occidental. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves convolute in the bud, 4-5 in. long, lanceolate, 

 long taper-pointed, rounded or acute at base, sharply and finely serrate, pubescent 

 at first but finally lustrous dark green above, paler beneath, with broad yellowish 

 midribs ; petioles from - in. in length, glabrous or pubescent and furnished 

 with two or more dark glands near the base of blade; stipules semi-lunar, 

 glandular-serrate, falling early except on vigorous shoots where they are larger 

 and foliaceous. Flowers in pedunculate catkins 1^-2 in. long, terminating leafy 

 branchlets; staminate catkins about ^ in. in diameter, with pbovate yellow 

 glandular-dentate scales; stamens 5-9 with filaments free and hairy at the base, 

 pistillate aments nearly \ in. in diameter; scales hairy, nearly entire; pistil with 

 short stipe, lanceolate* glabrous ovary, short style and spreading stigmatic lobes. 

 Fruit capsules about in. long, reddish yellow. 



