384 NEW ENGLAND TREES IN WINTER. 



YELLOW WILLOW 



Golden Osier. 



Salix alba, var. vitellina (L.) Koch. 

 S. vitellina Koch. 



HABIT A larg-e tree reaching CO-SO ft. in height with a trunk diam- 

 eter of 3-5 ft.; trunk short, rarely erect, generally inclining to one side, 

 dividing low down into a number of stout spreading limbs, forming an 

 irregular broad rounded head. 



BARK On young stems smooth, becoming with age dark gray and 

 deeply furrowed. 



TWIGS Rather slender, bright yellow, smooth and shining or dull 

 with more or less dense covering of fine silky hairs, bitter to taste. 

 LENTICELS scattered, inconspicuous. PITH more or less 5-pointed. 



LEAF-SCARS Alternate, more than 2-ranked, narrow, raised, broadly 

 V-shaped, more or less swoolen at the bundle-scars. STIPULE-SCARS 

 oblique, close to leaf-scars and often appearing connected with them. 

 BUNDLE-SCARS 3. 



BUDS Terminal bud absent, lateral buds about 5 mm. long, oblong, 

 rounded at apex, smooth or more or less silky-downy, flattened and 

 appressed against twig. BUD-SCALES a single bud-scale visible, 

 rounded on back, flattened toward the twig, forming a cap to silky- 

 hairy green leaves within. 



FRUIT A catkin of small capsules, containing numerous hairy seeds 

 ripening in spring. The willows are dioecious and the male trees of the 

 Yellow Willow are seldom planted in this country. 



COMPARISONS The species of Willows are closely related and have 

 hybridized abundantly. Their classification is based largely upon 

 differences in the pistils and stamens but since the Willows are 

 dioecious and therefore bear the male and female flowers upon separate 

 trees their determination even when in flower is often a matter of con- 

 siderable difficulty. The Yellow Willow here described, a yellow 

 twigged variety of the less common European White Willow [Salix 

 alba L.], is one of the most common tree Willows in New 

 England. The European Weeping Willow [Salix babylonica L.] was 

 formerly much planted for ornament especially in cemeteries and may be 

 distinguished by the drooping habit of its branches. The Black Willow 

 [Salix nigra Marsh.], a small-budded species is the one sizable native 

 Willow in New England. The Willows may be most readily separated 

 from the other trees by the single cap-like scale to the bud in con- 

 nection with the 3 bundle-scars in the narrow leaf-scar. 



DISTRIBUTION A European tree much planted in this country for 

 ornament. It has become naturalized throughout the populated regions 

 of New England, in moist places, near streams and ponds. 



WOOD Very light, soft, tough, light brown in color with thick nearly 

 white sapwood, easily worked and taking a beautiful polish; used in 

 this country for charcoal and for fuel. 



