WILLOW FAMILY 



HOARY WILLOW 



Salix Candida. 



A dwarf whitish shrub, two to five feet high, the older twigs 

 red or purple, the younger densely white-tomentose ; found in 

 bogs. Ranges from Labrador to the Northwest Territories, 

 southward to New Jersey, Iowa and Montana. 



Leaves. — Alternate, simple, very reticulate-veined, two to four 

 inches long, narrow-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute at both 

 ends, or sometimes obtuse at apex, margin obscurely repand- 

 denticulate or entire, slightly revolute ; midvein white above, 

 very prominent beneath. When young densely covered above 

 and beneath with white tomentum ; when full grown are thick, 

 green, loosely tomentose or glabrate above, densely tomentose 

 beneath. Petioles short. Stipules ovate, very revolute, semi- 

 persistent, green above, white tomentose beneath, about equalling 

 the petioles in length. 



Flowers. — May. Catkins expanding before the leaves, densely- 

 flowered, cyHndric; the staminate about an inch long; the pis- 

 tillate one to two inches long in fruit; bracts hairy, persistent. 

 Fruiting capsule ovoid-conic, acute, one-fourth of an inch long. 



On its native bogs the Hoary Willow appears as a 

 sprawling, straggling bush, and in the garden where it 

 readily makes itself at home it never becomes attrac- 

 tive in habit ; yet it is always conspicuous, for its leaves 

 as well as the young shoots are densely covered with 

 a white weblike wool, which marks it among its com- 

 panions. The blossoms are extremely beautiful, as 

 what color they have is emphasized by the white down 

 about them. The staminate catkins are at first tipped 

 by red anthers which give a rosy color to the whole ; 

 later as the pollen escapes they become bright yellow. 

 The pistillate catkins are hoary at first, later the pistils 

 are tipped by dark red stigmas. Its flowers and its 

 foliage entitle it to a place in any garden. 



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