Dendrology 



81 



may always be distinguished from a 

 poplar by examining the bud scale. 

 The poplars have scaly buds, while the 

 willows have but one bud scale, which 

 covers the bud like a hood. The blos- 

 soms are very similar, being borne in 

 separate aments and on separate trees. 

 The blossoms appear very early in the 

 spring, and the seeds are in some 

 species scattered early in the spring 

 and in others in midsummer. The 

 willows have their buds covered, under 

 the hoodlike scale, with a whitish silky 

 pubescence which becomes very showy 

 as soon as growth begins and the bud 

 scale is pushed off. These silky buds 

 give the name of "pussy willow" to 

 practically any of the species with buds 

 large enough to become showy. Some 

 species have very large buds and when 

 fully developed produce a very beauti- 

 ful appearance on lawn trees or wher- 

 ever decorative effects are appreciated. 



The wood of the willows is about the 

 same as that of the poplars so far as 

 farm forestry is concerned. They are 

 fast growers, producing soft, light, 

 weak and perishable wood which is put 

 to about the same uses about the farm 

 as poplar. 



Many of our willows are introduced 



G 



Fig. 22. — Willow 

 (Salix) . 



