Balsam Willow 



199 



persistent at the base of the stalk of the capsules; the 2 stamens of the staminate 

 flowers have smooth filaments united toward the base; the ovary in the pistillate 

 flowers is narrowly ovoid-conic, smooth, rather short-stalked, the very short style 

 about as long as the stigmas. The fruiting catkins are about 5 cm. long, the 

 smooth, narrowly ovoid capsules about 5 mm. long. 



The wood is soft and weak, light brown, with a specific gravity of about 0.56, 

 and is used for fuel and basketry. The tree is known also as Bigelow's willow 

 and as Western yeUow willow. 



20. BALSAM WILLOW — Salix balsamifera (Hooker) Barrett 

 Salix cordata balsamifera Hooker. Salix pyrijolia Andersson 



The Balsam willow, so called from the balsamic odor of its foliage, is widely 

 distributed as a shrub, usually not over 3 meters high, from Newfoundland to 

 Manitoba, Athabasca, New York, and Min- 

 nesota, reaching high altitudes in the moun- 

 tains of New England, and has only been 

 observed to become a tree in Maine, attaining 

 there a height of about 8 meters, with a trunk 

 up to 3 or 4 dm. in diameter. 



Its bark is described as gray and nearly 

 smooth; the very young twigs are puberulent, 

 soon becoming smooth, purplish or brown, 

 and shining; the winter buds are flattened, 

 pointed, smooth, shining red or purple, 4 to 6 

 mm. long. The thin leaves, which vary from 

 ovate to elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, or some- 

 times slightly obovate, are a little hairy when 

 unfolding, soon becoming smooth on both 

 sides, 5 to 10 cm. long, 2 to 4 cm. wide, 

 pointed or some of them blunt at the apex, 

 roimded or somewhat heart-shaped at the base, dark green on the upper side, pale 

 and prominently netted- veined beneath, finely glandular-toothed; their slender 

 stalks are 6 to 15 mm. long, finely hairy when young, becoming smooth and yel- 

 low; the stipules are usually very small and fall away when the leaves unfold, or 

 perhaps sometimes not developed at aU, but they are occasionally larger on leaves 

 of strong shoots. The catkins are from 3 to 4 cm. long, flowering when the leaves 

 unfold in May or June, borne on short, few-leaved branchlets of the season, their 

 bracts pink and long-hairy, persistent; the staminate flowers have 2 stamens with 

 smooth filaments; the pistillate ones have a long-stalked, smooth ovary, the 

 notched stigmas nearly sessile. In fruit the pistillate catkins become from 5 to 

 7.5 cm. long, the narrowly ovoid-conic smooth capsules 4 or 5 mm. long, their 

 stalks usually more than one half as long. 



Fig. 160. — Balsam Willow. 



