WILLOW FAMILY. 307 



beneath, and even dark green above), and more papery bark than in White 

 Birch, separating in ample sheets. 



* * * Trunk with greenish-brown hark, hardly peeling in layers j reddish twigs 

 little aromatic, and oblutig downy short-stalked catkins : wings of fruit broad. 



B. nigra, River or Red Birch. Middle-siijed tree of low river-banks, 

 commonest IS. : leaves rhombic-ovate, whitish and mostly downy beneath. 



2. ALNUS, ALDER. (Ancient Latin name.) Small trees or shrubs, with 

 narrow leaf-buds of very few scales and often stalked, and catkins mostly 

 clustered or racemed on leafless branchlets or peduncles. 



§ 1. Flowers with the leaves in spring, the sterile from catkins which were naked 

 over winter, while the fertile catkin was enclosed in a scaly bud. 



A. vlridis, Greeh or Mountain Alder. Only rather Tar N., and on 

 mountains : 3° - 8° high ; leaves round-oval or ovate, glutinous ; fruit with 

 a broad thin wing. 



§ 2. Flowers in earliest spring, mueh before the leaves, both sorts from catkins 

 which have remained naked over winter : wing of fruit narrow and thickish, 



A. serrulS,ta, Smooth a. Common, especially S. : 6° -12° high, with 

 obovate smooth or smooihish leaves green both sides and sharply^serrate. 



A. inc^na. Speckled or Hoaky A. Common N. along streams : 8° - 20° 

 high; with broadly oval or ovate leaves rounded at base, serrate and often 

 coarsely toothed, whitened and commonly downy beneath. 



109. SALICACE^, WILLOW FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs, with bitter bark, soft light wood, alternate undi- 

 vided leaves, either persistent or deciduous stipule.^, and dioecious 

 flowers ; both kinds in catkins, one flower under each bract or scale, 

 the stiiminate of naked stamens only ; the fertile of a 1-celled ovary 

 which becomes a 2-valved pod with 2 parietal or basal placentae, 

 beai-iiig numerous seeds furnished with a tuft of long cottony down at 

 one end., 



1. SALIX. Scales of the catkins entire. Sterjle flowers of few or rarely many 



stamens, accompanied by 1 or 2 little glands. Fertile flowers with a little 

 gland at the base of the ovary on the inner side: stigmas 2, short, each 

 sometimes 2-16bed. Shrubs or trees with lithe branches, mostly 1-scaled 

 buds, and narrow leaves. 



2. POPULUS. Scales of the catkins cut or cleft at the apex.' Flowers on a cup- 



shaped oblique disk. Stamens usually numerous. Stigmas long. Catkins' 

 drooping; flowers preceding the leaves, these mostly broad. Buds scaly. 



1. SALIX, willow, osier. (The classical Latin name.) The Wil- 

 lows, especially the numerous wild ones, are much too difficult for the be- 

 ginner to undertake. Eor their study the Manual must be used. The 

 following are the common ones planted from the Old World, with spnie of 

 the most tree-like wild ones. 



§ 1. Stamens 2, but their filaments tfnd often the anthers also united into one. 



S. purptirea, of Eu. ; known by the reddish or olive-colored twigs, lateral 

 catkins before the leaves and with dark scales, red anthers, and sessile downy 

 ovary. 



§ 2. Stamens 2 and separate. 



• Flowers earlier than the leaves: catkins sessile along the shoot of preceding year. 



S. viminilis. Basket W.- or Osier, of Eu., the twigs best for basket- 

 work; has lance-linaar entire slender-pointed leaves 3' -6' long and satiny-whit^ 

 lindemeath. • 



