296. SALIX LONGIPES WARD WILLOW. 47 



disk gland-like, minute and nectif erous ; stamens 2-12 (mostly 2) inserted at the 

 base of the scale, with slender and mostly free filaments and small oblong anthers; 

 pistillate aments usually erect or spreading; ovary sessile or short stipitate with 

 short style, 2 short more or less recurved 2-cleft stigmas and containing 4-8 

 ovules on each of the 2 placentas. Fruit an acuminate capsule dehiscent by 2 

 recurved valves; seeds minute, dark brown. 



Trees and shrubs of 160 or 170 species of wide distribution throughout the 

 northern and a few in the southern hemisphere. They grow generally along the 

 banks of streams and in low moist soil from the Arctic regions to the tropics. 

 Numerous natural hybrids also occur. About 70 species are found in North 

 America and of these 21 are recognized as trees of which 9 or 10 species are found 

 in the northeastern states. Besides these we have two or three naturalized 

 arborescent species. The name is the ancient Latin name of the genus. 



296. SALIX LONGIPES, ANDERS. 

 LONG-STALK WILLOW. WARD WILLOW. 



Ger., Langstengel-Weide; Fr., Saule a tige long; Sp., Sauce de tallo 



largo. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves involute in the bud, 4-7 in. long, lanceolate to 

 ovate-lanceolate, cuneate or rounded and the largest leaves sometimes cordate at 

 base, long-pointed, finely and unequally serrate, glabrous bright green above, 

 somewhat pubescent and whitish beneath; the foliaceous stipules reniform, often 

 l /2 in- lng; petioles short, without glands; winter buds small, brown, lustrous, 

 branehlets hoary pubescent. Flowers aments terminal on leafy branchlets, 3-4 in. 

 long; scales ovate, yellow, obtuse, villous; stamens 3-7 with filaments hairy at 

 base and yellow anthers; ovary long-stalked with nearly sessile stimatic lobes. 

 Fruit capsules about */4 in. long, globose conical. 



The Long-stalk Willow is a small tree, only occasionally attaining 

 the height of 30 ft. (9m.) and a trunk diameter of 8 or 10 in. 

 (0.25 m.), and it is often found fruiting as a shrub. The bark of 

 trunk is of an ashen gray color and coarsely ridged with longitudinal 

 and connecting scaly ridges. 



HABITAT. The gravelly banks of streams from about the latitude 

 of Washington, D. C., and central Illinois, southward to southern 

 Florida and southern Texas. It is quite abundant in southwestern 

 Missouri and western Arkansas and ranges westward through New 

 Mexico. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. The wood of the Long Stalk Willow is 

 very light, soft, not strong, with numerous very obscure medullary 

 rays and quite uniformly distributed small open ducts. It is of a 

 rich reddish brown color with creamy white sap-wood. Specific 

 Gravity, 0.4456; Percentage of Ash, 0.70. 



USES. No particular use is made of the wood of this willow save 

 occasionally for fuel, charcoal, etc. 



