44° 



THE COMMON WILLOW. 



trunk is thick and somewhat deeply furrowed, with an irregular 

 vertical diamond pattern. 



THE LEAF. 



The buds are narrow, long, and pointed ; they lie closely to 



the twig, and are partially curved around it. The young leaves are 



upright, rolled together, and of a pale glossy 

 green. The mature leaf lies horizontally, or 

 hangs from the twig. Only the terminal leaves 

 follow the direction of the twig. These posi- 

 tions are often modified by the petioles bending 

 across the twig. The leaves are borne singly, 

 but their arrangement differs considerably in the 

 different species. 



On the Goat Willow the leaves are arranged 

 spirally in sets of five around the twig. In 

 other species the spirals are much longer ; leaves 

 are found at as many as thirteen different points 

 round the twig before one appears in a straight 

 line with the first of the series, and a new spiral 

 is begun. In other cases the spirals are but 

 three leaves long. The underside of the leaf is 

 lighter in colour, and both surfaces are smooth 

 and flat. The main rib is usually curved near 

 the tip. To provide for the leaf-blade follow- 

 ing this curved direction, the outline on one 



side is concave, on the other convex. The 

 petioles are short. 



The following variations in the leaves of the different species 



may be noted : — 



