384 XEAV ENGLAND TUEES IX WINTER. 



YELLOW WILLOW 

 Golden Osier. 



Salix alba, var. vitellina iL.) Koch. 

 S. vitellina Koch. 



HABIT — A large tree reaching- r.O-SO ft. in lieiyht with a trunk diatn- 

 eter of 3-5 ft.; trunk sliort. rarely erect. generall\" inclining: ti:t one side, 

 dividing low down into a number of stout spreading limbs, forming an 

 irregular broad rounded head. 



BARK — On young stems smooth, becoming with age dark graj- and 

 deeply furrowed. 



TAVIGS — Elather slender, bright j'ello"^'. smooth and shining- or dull 

 ■u'ith more or less dense co%-ering of tine silk>' hairs, bitter to taste. 

 LKNTICELS — scattered, inconspicuous. PITH — nn-ire or less .'j-pointed. 



LEAF-SCARS — Alternate, more than 2-ranked, narrow, raised, broadly 

 V-shaped, more or less swoolen at the bundle-scars. STIPETLE-SCARS — 

 oblique, close to leaf-scars and often appearing connected with theni. 

 BUNDLE-SCARS — 3. 



BVDS — Terminal bud absent, lateral buds about 5 mm. long, oblong. 

 rounded at apex, smi^oth or more or less silk>--do wny, flattened and 

 appressed against twig. BUD-SCAL.KS — a single bud-scale visible. 

 rounded on back, flattened toward the twig, forming a cap to silky- 

 hairj' green leaves within. 



FRVIT — A catkin ot small capsules, containing numerous hairy seeds 

 ripening in spring. The willows are dioecious and tj-ie male trees of the 

 Yellow Willow are seldom planted in this country. 



COMP-VRISOXS — The species of Willows are closely related and have 

 hybridized abundantly. Their classification is based largely upon 

 differences in the pistils and stamens but since the Willows are 

 dioecious and therefore bear the male and female flowers upon separate 

 trees their determination even when in flower is often a matter of con- 

 siderable diflnculty. The Yellow Willow here described, a yellow 

 twigged variety ot the less common European White Willow [Snlix 

 alba L..]. is one of the most common tree Willows in New 

 England. The European Weeping "R^illow [Salix bahylonica L.] was 

 formerly much planted for ornament especially in cemeteries and may be 

 distinguished by the drooping habit of its branches. The Black Willow 

 [Salix nigra Marsh.], a small-budded species is the one sizable native 

 Willow in New England. The Willows may be most readily separated 

 from the other trees by the single cap-like scale to the bud in con- 

 nection with the 3 bundle-scars in the narrow leaf-scar. 



DISTRIBrTIO.X A European tree much planted in this country for 



ornament. It has become naturalized throughout the populated regions 

 of New England, in moist places, near streams and ponds. 



^^ oon Very light, soft, tough, light brown in color with thick nearly 



white sapwood, easily worked and taking a beautiful polish; used in 

 this country tor charcoal and for fuel. 



