388 



THE NATURE BOOK 



creeping habit, with their main stems on 

 or under ground. 



The hark of the Willows, in maturity, 

 is thick and deeply furrowed. The 

 branches and twigs, with the exception 

 mainly of those of dwarf habit, are long, 

 slender, and very pliant, justifying the 

 name Willow, or " wilhng." The buds are 



against the heavier green of their com- 

 panions, the Alders. The Willow leaf 

 has a strong midrib, branching with many 

 alternate secondary ribs, which, however, 

 do not reach the leaf's margin, but bend 

 over, and lose themselves in sub-division. 

 The flowers are grouped in catkins. 

 The pollen-bearing catkins are distinct 



1 , Crack Willow. 



WILLOW LEAVES. 

 2, Bay-leaved Willow, 3, White Willow. 4, Sallow. 5, Almond-leaved Willow. 



arranged spirally on the twigs, and are 

 generally long, pointed, and more or less 

 pressed up against them. They are 

 protected by a single scale, which is a 

 rare characteristic among the buds of our 

 trees. The leaf-scars are narrow, crescent- 

 shaped, and show three or five leaf-traces. 

 The leaves, speaking generally, are long 

 and narrow, more or less lance-shaped ; 

 but there are considerable variations, as 

 will be indicated. They vary in colour 

 also, but mostly they are shining green 

 on the upper surface and silky or cottony 

 beneath. The latter quality is produc- 

 tive of that silver sheen in the Willows, 

 which affords so marked a contrast 



from the fruit-producing, and are borne 

 on separate trees, after the manner of the 

 Poplars. But the Willow catkins of 

 both kinds are stiff and erect. More- 

 over, these catkins, with exceptions to 

 be referred to later, are produced at the 

 same time as the leaves, and attain 

 maturity only when the tree is fully 

 covered. They grow out as dwarf shoots 

 from lateral buds on the previous year's 

 twigs. These catkin shoots in some in- 

 stances do, and in other instances do not, 

 bear foliage also. Their erect attitude 

 and late appearance mark a departure, 

 and indicate a probable advance on the 

 part of the Willows as compared with the 



