SALIX ALBA, L. 45 



damp soils. A handsome ornamental tree when planted where 

 its roots can find water, and its branches space for free 

 development. Keadily propagated from slips. 



Salix alba, L. 

 WHITE WILLOW. 



Habitat and Range. Low, moist grounds ; along streams. 

 Probably indigenous throughout Europe, northern Africa, and 

 Asia as far south as northwestern India. Extensively intro- 

 duced in America, and often spontaneous over large areas. 



New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. 



New England, sparingly throughout. 



South to Delaware ; extensively introduced in the western states. 



Habit. A large tree, 50-80 feet in height ; trunk usually 

 rather short and 2-7 feet in diameter ; head large, not as 

 broad-spreading as that of S. fragilis ; branches numerous, 

 mostly ascending. 



Bark. Bark of trunk in old trees gray and coarsely ridged, 

 in young trees smooth ; twigs smooth, olive. 



Leaves. Leaves simple, alternate, 24 inches long, silky- 

 hairy on both sides when young, when old still retaining more 

 or less pubescence, especially on the paler under surface ; 

 outline narrowly lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, glandular- 

 serrate, tapering to a long pointed apex and to an acute 

 base ; leafstalk short, usually without glands ; stipules ovate- 

 lanceolate, soon falling. 



Note. Var. vitellina, Koch., by far the most common form 

 of this willow ; mature leaves glabrous above ; twigs yellow. 

 Var. ccerulea, Koch. ; mature leaves bluish-green, glabrous 

 above, glaucous beneath ; twigs olive. 



Inflorescence. April to May. Catkins appearing with the 

 leaves, slender, erect, stalked ; scales linear ; stamens 2 ; fila- 

 ments distinct, hairy below the middle ; stigma nearly sessile, 

 deeply cleft ; capsule glabrous, sessile or nearly so. 



