1918] SCHNEIDER—AMERICAN WILLOWS 319 
the ament) are reddish or purplish toward the apex, but never 
become really fuscous or blackish. Furthermore, the pubescence 
of the 2 kinds of bracts is of a different character. In the first 
group it usually consists of rather long, straight, silky hairs, of 
which at least the uppermost are about the same length as the 
bract, which mostly does not bear many short hairs on its surface, 
and often becomes nearly glabrous. In the second group the 
hairs are comparatively shorter, less straight, and rarely distinctly 
silky, but are softer and sometimes a little curly. As a whole the 
bracts are more or less covered with pubescence, and are rarely 
distinctly ciliated at apex with long silky hairs. These characters 
are usually more easily detected in the female than in the male 
specimens, which are often more similar in the two groups. It 
takes some time for the student to become familiar with these 
peculiarities, which are by no means clearly recognizable in every 
specimen. There are of course exceptions also, but in such cases 
we find other characters to determine the real affinity of a certain 
form. Many so-called intermediate forms are of hybrid origin, or 
should receive closer observation in the field before defining their 
taxonomic position. This is what I have to say at present regard- 
ing the separation of the sections GLAUCAE and OVALIFOLIAE. 
Later I hope to have the opportunity to discuss in detail the sys- 
tematic arrangement of the American species of Salix. 
As I now understand them, the following species belong to the 
section GLAUCAE: S. anamesa Schn., S. brachycarpa Nutt., S. chlo- 
rolepis Fern., S. cordifolia Pursh, S. desertorum Rich., S. fuller- 
tonensis Schn., S. glauca L., S. lingulata And., S. niphoclada Rydbg., 
and S. pseudolapponum v. Seem. I do not include in this group 
S. chlorophylla And., S. McCalliana Row., S. Nelsonii Ball, S. sas- 
katchavana v. Seem.,and S.idah is (Ball) Rydbg., which RYDBERG 
places in his section ARCTICAE (FI. Rocky Mts. 190. 1917), which 
seems to me an unnatural mixture of species of different affinities. 
1. S. etauca L., Sp. Pl. 2:1019. 1753.—Before we can decide 
whether any American forms or which of them are to be referred 
to this species it seems necessary to discuss the characters of the 
typical S. glauca L. It is founded on “363. Salix foliis integris 
subtus tenuissime villosis ovatis. Tab. VIII. fig. p. and Tab. VIL. 
