Missouri Willow 



197 



reddish or purplish, the winter buds flattened, pointed, smooth, about 3 mm. long. 

 The leaves vary from lanceolate to oblanreolate, and from 5 to 10 cm. long by 

 I to 2.5 cm. wide; they are finely bluntly toothed 

 or almost or quite entire-margined, pointed or 

 long-pointed at the apex, usually narrowed at the 

 base, dark green on the upper surface, pale green 

 beneath, smooth on both sides when old, but 

 more or less hairy when young; their slender 

 stalks are 8 to 12 mm. long; their stipules kidney- 

 shaped, 2 to 5 mm. broad, usually remaining un- 

 til the leaves fall in the autumn. The catkins, 

 which appear from April to early June, according 

 to latitude, are at the ends of short leafy branches 

 of the season, 4 to 6 cm. long, their persistent 

 bracts obovate, acutish, hairy toward the base; 

 the staminate flowers have 2 stamens with smooth 

 filaments, and the ovary in the pistillate flowers 

 is ovoid, long-stalked, smooth, the short style 

 about as long as the notched stigmas. The fruit- 

 ing catkins are 7.5 cm. long or less, the ovoid beaked smooth capsules 5 to 7 mm. 

 long, their fihform stalks 3 to 4 mm. long. 



Mackenzie's willow is ornamental and well worthy of planting in wet grounds. 

 Salix cordata, the Heart-leaved willow, a shrub, widely distributed from New 

 Brunswick to British Columbia, Virginia, Missouri, and CaHfomia, has leaves 

 mostly heart-shaped or rounded at the base, very variable in width, and smaller, 

 shorter-stalked capsules. 



Fig. 157. Mackenzie's Willow. 



18. MISSOURI WILLOW Salix missouriensis Bebb 



Salix cordata vcstita Andersson 



The Missouri willow is known in the valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi 

 rivers and of tributar)' streams, from Kentucky, IlHnois, and Missouri to Iowa 

 and Nebraska. It becomes 17 or 18 meters high, with a trunk up to 4.5 dm. 

 thick. 



The bark is gray, thin, and scaly, the young twigs green to greenish brown, 

 densely velvety-hair)', becoming brown and smooth; the winter buds arc densely 

 hair)', somewhat flattened, pointed, ver\' large, sometimes 2 cm. long. The leaves 

 are lanceolate, varying to somewhat oblanceolate, pointed, often long-pointed at 

 the apex, blunt or somewhat heart-shaped or narrowed at the base, 15 cm. long 

 or less, I to 3 cm. wide, rather finely toothed, hair\' on both sides when young, 

 but when mature dark green on the upper surface, very pale green or whitish, 

 more or less hairy, and rather prominently netted-veined beneath; their stalks are 

 stout, hair}-, 8 to 15 mm. long, their stipules obhquely ovate, toothed, netted- 



