WILLOW FAMILY 



Fruit. — Capsule, ovate, conical, smooth, and reddish brown. Seed 

 minute, surrounded by a tuft of long, white, soft hairs. 



Then saffern swarms swing off from all the willers 

 So plump they look like yaller caterpillars. 



James Russell Lowell. 



There is now but little black willow down left on the trees. I think I see how 

 this tree is propagated by its seeds. Its countless minute brown seeds, just per- 

 ceptible to the naked eye in the midst of their cotton are wafted with the cotton 

 to the water, most abundantly about a fortnight ago ; and then they drift and 

 form a thick white scum together with other matter, especially against some 

 alder or other fallen or drooping shrub where there is less current than usual. 

 There within two or three days a great many germinate and show their two 

 little roundish leaves, more or less tingeing with green the surface of the scum, 

 somewhat hke grass-seed in a tumbler of cotton. Many of these are drifted in 

 amid the button bushes, willows and other shrubs, and the sedge along the river 

 side, and the water falling just at this time when they have put forth little fibres, 

 they are deposited on the mud just left bare in the shade, and thus probably a 

 great many of them have a chance to become perfect plants. But if they do 

 not get into sufficiently shallow water, and are not left on the mud just at the 

 right time probably they perish. The mud in many such places is now green 

 with them, though perhaps the seed has often blown thither directly through 

 the air. —Henry D. Thoreau. 



This is the native willow which oftenest attains tree-like 

 proportions in eastern North America, It is usually found 

 leaning over the water of streams and lakes, and may be 

 recognized by its long, narrow, yellow 

 green, shining leaves, which taper 

 gradually to a long point and give 

 the effect of delicate foliage. These 

 leaves usually curve in growth, so that 

 they take a sickle shape ; this pe- 

 culiarity is frequent though not in- 

 variable, but the tip is often curved, 

 when the body of the leaf is not. 

 Moreover, each leaf bears small green 

 stipules, crescent-shaped, finely toothed, and persistent as 

 long as the leaf is growing. The bark is rather rough and 

 blackish, although individuals are found with bark fairly 

 light brown. 



Staminate 

 Flower of 

 Black Wil- 

 low, Salix 

 nigra. 



396 



