WILLOW FAMILY 



Aspen is the tree of whose wood the cross of our Saviour was 

 made and that it stiU shivers in remembrance of that fact. 



Far off in highland wilds 'tis said, 

 But truth now laughs at fancy's lore, 

 That of this tree the cross was made 

 Which erst the Lord of Glory bore; 

 And of that deed its leaves confess 

 E'er since a troubled consciousness. 



— Spirit of the. Woods. 



LARGE-TOOTHED ASPEN 



rdpulus grandidciitata. 



Common in the forest, preferring rich, moist, sandy soil, near the 

 borders of swamps and streams. Reaches tlie lieight of sixty feet, 

 with a trunlc two feet in diaineter and slender spread- 

 ing brandies whicli form a narrow round-topped 

 head. Ranges from Nova Scotia through Ontario to 

 IMinnesota ; soutliward to Delaware, along the Alle- 

 ghanies to North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. 



Bark. — On old trees near the base, dark brown, 

 fissured and divided into broad flat ridges ; on 

 younger stems and on the branches smooth and light 

 gray tinged with green. Branchlets stout, coated 

 at first with pale tomentinn, later they become red- 

 brown or dark orange, finally becoine dark gray, 

 much roughened by the leaf scars. 



\\\)od. — Light brown, sapwood nearly white ; 

 light, soft, close-grained but not strong. Largely 

 manufactured into wood pulp, occasionally used for 

 wooden-ware. Sp. gr., 0.4632; weight of cu. ft., 

 28.S7 lbs. 



Lraf Buds. — Spread from the branch at a wide 

 angle, broadly ovate, acute, one-eighth of an inch 

 long ; about half the size of the flower-buds which 

 otherwise resemble them. 



Li-a~i'cs. — Alternate, simple, three to four inches 

 long two to three inches bioad, broadly-ovate, three- 

 nerved, wedge-shaped, truncate or rounded at base, 

 coarsely and irregularly croiate with incur\ed teeth, 

 acute or acuminate ; midrib and \eins conspicuous. 

 They come out of the bud involute, coated with hoary tomentum, 

 when full grown are dark green above, pale green beneath. In 



418 



1-arge -Tooth ed 

 Aspen, Pop\thii 

 grandidoilata. 

 Fruiting Ament, 

 4' to 5' long 



