The Willow Family 



159 



is only of local value for fuel or posts. In older countries the. 

 long supple branches are largely used in basketry, but that 

 has never become an industry with us. 



They are very frequently planted, but less for ornamental 

 purposes than for wind-breaks on the prairie. Their strong 

 vitality and rapid growth make them very valuable for that 

 purpose. They may also be used to prevent the washing away 

 of the banks of streams. 



PEACH-LEAVED WILLOW. Salix amygdaloides. Andersson. 



This is a large rough-barked tree, reaching at times a height 

 of sixty feet, with a diameter of two feet or even more. The 

 bark is brown or gray, thick and irregu- 

 larly furrowed by deep grooves. The 

 twigs are slender and tough, the young 

 being orange to brown *n color and with 

 a decided tendency to droop. The leaves 

 are bright green and finely toothed. 



This tree occurs along river banks and 

 shores of lakes in Manitoba and west- 

 ward across the prairies. The wood is 

 of little economic value, being light and 

 rather weak, but for ornamental plant- 

 ing the tree has some good features. It 

 grows quickly, has a fairly thick foliage, 

 is long-lived and not much subject to 



insect pests. The small branches, however, die quickly and fall 

 off, and it is difficult to get the trunk to grow perfectly erect. 

 The constant dropping of dead branches and the often leaning 

 trunk are regarded by many as objectionable features. This 

 tree is sometimes confused with the black willow, S. nigra, which 

 is an eastern species and not found west of Lake Huron. 



FIG. 25. Peach-leaved 

 Willow. 



