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ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



Fiff. 106.— The fast- 

 growing weeping wil- 

 low, with its long, 

 lance-shaped leaves (in- 

 set) is prized for its 

 weeping or pendulous 

 branches. 



lance shaped, up to 6 inches long, and have finely toothed margins. 

 They vary from dark to light green and shiny above and from 

 pale green to shiny or silvery below. The undersides of leaves 

 of the yellowstem white willow are smooth to slightly hairy with 

 a whitish bloom that gives a silky appearance. The conspicuous 

 male and female flowers, produced on erect catkins, are borne on 

 separate trees. The fruits are small capsules which split at ma- 

 turity to discharge the silky-haired seeds which are carried long 

 distances by wind. Willows are conspicuous in the spring because 

 they are among the first trees to unfold leaves and the bark on 

 twigs is yellowish green. The brown to nearly black bark on 

 trunks of old trees is divided by deep furrows into broad, flat, 

 connected ridges. 



Willows growing under adverse conditions, and old trees may 

 be attacked by borers and by Cytospora canker, a fungus disease. 

 These troubles frequently result in death of affected trees. Al- 

 though the wood of willow is fine grained, soft, and light, it is 

 quite tough and is used for crates, baskets, boxes, charcoal, coarse 

 lumber, and pulp. 



