i88 



The Willows 



southern Mexico. It is a small, slender, beautiful tree, lo to 12 meters high, with 

 a trunk up to 4 dm. thick, the slender branches somewhat drooping. 



Its bark is brown, thick, and irregularly fissured; the yoimg twigs are smooth, 



shining, yellow-brown, becoming darker. The 

 leaves are lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, long- 

 pointed, smooth on both sides, even when 

 young, firm in texture and persistent on the 

 branches until late in the autumn or into the 

 winter; they are 12 cm. long or less, i to 2 cm. 

 wide, finely toothed, bright green and shining 

 on the upper side, bright white beneath; their 

 stalks are 6 to 12 mm. long; the ovate stip- 

 ules fall away early, or those on strong shoots 

 persist until summer. The catkins appear in 

 February or March on twigs of the preceding 

 season, subtended at the base by two or more 

 small leaves; they are small, nearly stalkless, 

 only 2 to 3 cm. long, and their obovate blunt 

 bracts are hairy; the staminate flowers have 3 

 or 4 stamens with filaments a little hairy at the 

 Fig. I4S.- Tourney's Willow. ^ase, the pistillate ones have a short-stalked 



smooth ovoid ovary and almost sessile stigmas. The fruiting catkins are com- 

 pact, 2.5 cm. long or less, nearly 1 cm. thick, the very short-stalked ovoid yel- 

 lowish capsules 3 to 4 mm. long. 



7. PEACH-LEAVED WILLOW — SaJix amygdaloides Andersson 



This species inhabits river-shores and similar situations from Quebec through 

 Ontario to Manitoba and British Columbia, 

 extending south to New York, Ohio, Illinois, 

 Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, and Oregon, 

 bein^most abundant in the Rocky moimtain 

 region. 



The tree attains a maximum height of 

 about 20 meters, with a trunk up to 6 dm. in 

 diameter; it is usually much smaller, how- 

 ever; it has been regarded by some authors as 

 a variety of the Black willow. Its bark is 

 thick, brown, and irregularly fissured; the 

 slender smooth young twigs are orange- 

 brown, becoming darker brown; the winter 

 buds are ovoid, pointed, shining, about 3 

 mm. long. The leaves are rather broadly Ian- fig. 146. — Peach-leaved Willow. 



