Trees of New York State 125 



SALICACEAE 



Salix purpurea L. [Salix Porbvana Sm.] 



Purple Willow, Purple Osier 



Habit — Usually a shrub, occasionally a small tree 25-30 feet in height with a 

 rather broad, rounded crown and short, irregular trunk 5-8 inches 

 through. Branches ascending, bearing long, slender, flexuous and some- 

 what pendulous twigs. 



Leaves — Alternate or often subopposite, short-petioled, oblanceolate to spatu- 

 late, 1-3 inches long, y^-Vj wide, acute at the apex, narrowed and rounded 

 at the base, entire or slightly serrulate, at maturity dark dull green and 

 very smooth above, paler, smooth, and glaucous below. Stipules small, 

 fugacious. 



Flowers — Appearing in April and May, dioecious, glandular, borne in the 

 axils of blunt, hairj', purplish, persistent bracts, the whole forming 

 densely flowered, narrowly cylindrical, nearly sessile aments which meas- 

 ure 1-2 inches in length and appear before the leaves on twigs of the 

 preceding season. Stamen 1, with free, smooth filament and orange or 

 reddish yellow anther. Pistil solitary, consisting of a grayish-tomentose, 

 ovoid-conical, sessile ovary, a short style and 2 small stigmas. 



Fruit — A sessile, grayish-tomentose, ovoid, obtuse capsule, about 1/12 of an 

 inch long, enclosing minute, comose seeds. 



Winter characters — Twigs long, slender, flexuous, glabrous, purplish, some- 

 times glaucous, lenticellate, with raised leaf-scars. Terminal bud lacking. 

 Lateral buds alternate or subopposite, ovate-oblong, acute smooth, %-% 

 of an inch long. 'Mature bark grayish black, shallowly fissured and nar- 

 rowly ridged, the ridges scaly at the surface. 



Habitat — Grown extensively for AA-ickerware on low, wet, alluvial soils. A 

 water-loving species requiring a moist (not necessar^^.y wet) soil. 



Range — A European species largely cultivated at Liverpool, N. Y., and else- 

 where in the East for wickerware. An occasional "escape" throughout 

 the eastern and central states, usually in wet situations. Zones A, B, and C. 



Uses — - An important osier- willow thriving well in New York State. This 

 species may be grown profitably on low, wet, farm meadows that are 

 unsuited for other crop. Occasionally grown ornamentally. 



