ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



311 



COTTONWOOll— WHICH IS IT. 

 I'opiilus monilifera or Populus dwiulatd .' 



Dr. J. (t. Cooper, in liis licjiort, in Vol. XII 

 of (ho Pacific Kailroad Survey in Oregon, says: 

 " Two, anil perliaps more, species of Poplar 

 form llio forest growth on tlie inundated river 

 banlc8, from an elevation of ")Oii(i feet down to 

 tide-water. They are also found on all the 

 rivers running from the lvocl<y Mountains, and 

 perhaps entirely across the continent. One of 

 these is the Cottonwood (I'opu/u.i monUifcra) ; 

 (he other is distinguished as 'Balsam,' or ' 15it- 

 Icr Poplar,' it is peculiar to tlie western half 

 of the continent (Popuhis (ni(/usliJ'olia). The 

 wood of both is of little value, hut they grow 

 rapidly and are ornamental. The islands and 

 low shores of the Columbia arc covered with 

 these trees, of larger size than 1 have ever seen 

 tliem elsewhere." 



Dr. J. M. Bigelow, in Vol. XIV of the l!.e- 

 ports, says: 



" POPrLUS MONILIFEIIA — CorrONWOOD— Pof- 

 LAU. — This tree is somewhat diflerent from the 

 Cottonwood of the Mississii)pi, which 1 believe 

 is P. angulala. It is found east as far as the 

 Canadian river, and "West until we cross the 

 Sierra Nevada. In the Rio Grand valley it is 

 used by the ^Mexicans for building. It is also 

 employed for fanning utensils, the most unique 

 of which is their cart, the wheels being made of 

 a section of this tree. They arc six or eight 

 inches thick, and manufactured in the rudest 

 manner. The timber is tough and bar. I. It does 

 ni)t grow here as tall as on the Mississippi river, 

 but occasionally it is quite large and spreading.'' 



Dr. John Torrcy, in his report on the i)lants 

 of California and New Mexico, irollected in the 

 expedition commanded by Captain Williamson 

 (Report, Vol. IX), says: 



"I'opulus monilifera. Ait. — This is the com- 

 mon Cottonwood, which has a range from the 

 Atlantic to the great Colorado, and almost as 

 great an extent of latitude. It is .abundant in 

 some places near Fort Yuma." 



Dr. James, in Long's Expedition to the llocky 

 Mountains, says: 



"As far as our observation has extended, the 

 Poplar most common in the conntry of the Mis- 

 sissippi, and indeed almost the only one which 

 occurs, is the I'opulus amjiildtd. This tree is 

 perhaps as widely distributed as any indigenous 

 to North America, extending at least from Can- 

 ada to Louisiana, and from the Atlantic to the 

 lower part of the Columbia river.'' 



A QiiKSTiox. — The northern limits of southern 

 plants and the southern limits of northern plants 

 should be carefully noted. There are three north- 

 ern plants found as far south as Peoria, viz., 

 Arclustaphylos uva-ursi, Spring., Meniianthex 

 trifuliata, Linn , and fSa/ix myrtilloiites, L. {S. 

 pedirellaria, Pursh.) Where arc the southern 

 limits of these jjlauts iu llliuoisi' F. liuKNDiiL. 



OUR X.VTIVK OAKS.— No. 3. 



IFig. 111.-,.] 



Willciw 0:llv {qucntii PMIIos, t. ) 



We would say with n^spect to the ligures 

 given of the Oaks, that we have only aimed to 

 present correct average outlines, as an aid, 

 through the eye, to a clearer conception of the 

 differences between the species. As to nerva- 

 tion, surface of leaf, &c., we have not attempted 

 precision. The foriu of leaf in different species 

 varies so much that our space forbids a full 

 illustration. 



We propose in this paper to notice some ot 

 the biennial fruited Oaks. First, in that divis- 

 ion we have the entire or willow-leaved species. 

 In the eastern i)ortion of the United States there 

 arc of tliis section three species. 1. The upland 

 Willow Oak {Qncrcvs cinerea, Michx.) This 

 is a shrub or small tree, ranging from live to 

 twenty feet high, growing in sandy i)ine barrens 

 from Eastern Virginia through the Southern 

 States, becoming very abundant in Mississipjn. 

 The leaves are from li to '_' inches long, thick, 

 shining, oblong, on young shoots sometimes 

 toothed, and hanging long on the tree, but not 

 evergreen except far south. They are brisile- 

 pointed, downy on the under surface, with the 

 edge or margin somewhat rolled back. The 

 acorn is roundish, about half an inch long, the 

 cup shallow and very short stalked. 



•-'. The Willow Oak {Qncrru.s jihillos, L.) 

 This is a large tree growing in low swampy 



