250 TREES IN WINTER 



YELLOW WILLOW 



Golden Osier. 



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



S. vitellina Koch. 



HABIT — A large tree reaching- 50-80 ft. in height with a trung 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 an,: 

 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. 



LiEAF-SCARS — Alternate, more than 2-ranked, narrow, raised, broadly 

 V-shaped, more or less swollen 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 

 considerable difficulty. The Yellow Willow here described, a yellow- 

 twigged variety of the less common European White Willow ISalix 

 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 

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

 iSalix 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 food. 



