WILLOW FAMILY. 399 



8. FAGUS, BEECH. (Classical Latin name, from the Greek, alluding 

 to the nuts being good to eat.) Flowers appearing with the (straight- 

 veined and serrate) leaves, in spring. 



F. ferruglnea, Ait. AMERICAN BEECH. Forest tree, with fine-grained 

 wood, close and smooth light-gray bark, and light horizontal spray ; the 

 leaves oblong-ovate and taper-pointed, distinctly toothed, thin, their silky 

 hairs early deciduous, the very straight veins all ending in the salient 

 teeth ; common on rich lands. 



F. sylv&tica, Linn. EUROPEAN BEECH. Occasionally planted ; is dis- 

 tinguished by broader and shorter, firmer, more hairy, and wavy-toothed 

 leaves, some of the main veins tending to the sinuses. COPPER BEECH is 

 a variety with crimson-purple foliage ; there are also weeping forms. 



CX. SALICACKfi, WILLOW FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs, with bitter bark, soft light wood, alternate 

 undivided leaves, either persistent or deciduous stipules, and 

 dioecious flowers ; both kinds in catkins, one flower under each 

 bract or scale, the staminate of naked stamens only, the fertile 

 of a 1-celled ovary which becomes a 2-4-valved pod with 2-4 

 parietal or basal placentae, bearing numerous seeds furnished 

 with a tuft of long cottony down at one end. 



1. SALIX. Scales of the catkins entire. Sterile flowers of few or rarely many stamens, 



accompanied by 1 or 2 little glands. Fertile flowers with a little gland at the base of 

 the ovary on the inner side ; stigmas 2, short, each sometimes 2-lobed. Catkins gen- 

 erally erect, appearing before, with or following the leaves. Shrubs or trees with 

 lithe branches, mostly 1-scaled buds and narrow leaves. 



2. POPULUS. Scales of the catkins cut or cleft at the apex. Flowers on a cup-shaped 



oblique disk. Stamens usually numerous. Stigmas long. Catkins drooping ; flowers 

 preceding the leaves, which are mostly broad. Buds scaly. 



1. SALIX, WILLOW, OSIER. (The classical Latin name.) The 

 Willows, especially the numerous wild ones, are much too difficult for 

 the beginner to undertake. For their study the Manual must be used. 

 The following are the common ones planted from the Old World, with 

 some of the most tree-like wild ones. 



* Flowers earlier than the leaves ; catkins sessile along the shoot of pre- 

 ceding year. 



S. viminalis, Linn. BASKET W. or OSIER. Of Eu. ; twigs used for 

 basket work ; has lance-linear, entire, slender-pointed leaves 3'-6' long 

 and satiny-white underneath. Stamens 2, separate. Occasionally planted. 



S. purptirea, Linn. Known by the reddish or olive-colored twigs, lateral 

 catkins before the oblanceolate, serrulate, and glaucous leaves and with 

 dark scales, red anthers, and sessile downy ovary. Stamens 2, but their 

 filaments and often the anthers also united into one. Established on low 

 grounds and banks in some places, and planted for basket and tying 

 material ; also ornamental forms, one of which is known as S. NAPO- 



LE6NIS. EU. 



S. Caprea, Linn. GOAT W. of Eu. In this country known chiefly in 

 its weeping form (the KILMARNOCK WILLOW) , and as a stock upon which 



