SALICACE^E— WILLOW FAMILY 



THE WILLOW 



Salix. 



" The role that the willow plays in the north temperate zone 

 is to a certain extent analogous to that of the Eucalyptus in sub- 

 tropical regions in that it flourishes in wet ground and absorbs 

 and transpires immense quantities of water. But while most of the 

 species occur spontaneously in wet ground or along the banks of 

 streams, the willow may be cultivated in various locations." 



— " Cyclopedia of American Horticulture." 



Salix is a genus of dioecious trees and shrubs, char- 

 acterized by simple leaves, much longer than broad ; 

 buds with a single bud scale ; flowers in lax scaly cat- 

 kins ; each flower subtended by a single entire scale 

 and nearly or quite destitute of a perianth. The stam- 

 inate flowers have one, two, or three to six stamens ; 

 the pistillate flowers consist of a single pistil, composed 

 of two carpels and two more or less divided stigmas. 

 At maturity the pistil opens, setting free the small 

 seeds which are furnished with long silky down. 



The willow hybridizes naturally, and it is this which 

 makes the determination of the different species so 

 difficult. The most that an amateur can hope to do is 

 to know the marked types. Yet we at least can know 



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