WILLOW FAMILY 
Fruit—Capsule, ovate, conical, smooth, and reddish brown. Seed 
minute, surrounded by a tuft of long, white, soft hairs. 
Then saffern swarms swing off from all the willers 
So plump they look like yaller caterpillars, 
JAMES RUSSELL LOWBLL. 
There is now but little black willow down left on the trees. I think I see how 
this tree is propagated by its seeds. Its countless minute brown seeds, just per- 
ceptible to the naked eye in the midst of their cotton are wafted with the cotton 
to the water, most abundantly about a fortnight ago ; and then they drift and 
form a thick white scum together with other matter, especially against some 
alder or other fallen or drooping shrub where there is less current than usual. 
There within two or three days a great many germinate and show their two 
little roundish leaves, more or less tingeing with green the surface of the scum, 
somewhat like grass-seed in a tumbler of cotton. Many of these are drifted in 
amid the button bushes, willows and other shrubs, and the sedge along the river 
side, and the water falling just at this time when they have put forth little fibres, 
they are deposited on the mud just left bare in the shade, and thus probably a 
great many of them havea chance to become perfect plants. But if they do 
not get into sufficiently shallow water, and are not left on the mud just at the 
right time probably they perish. The mud in many such places is now green 
with them, though perhaps the seed has often blown thither directly through 
the air. —HeEwnry D. THOREAU. 
This is the native willow which oftenest attains tree-like 
proportions in eastern North America. It is usually found 
leaning over the water of streams and lakes, and may be 
recognized by its long, narrow, yellow 
green, shining leaves, which taper 
gradually to a long point and give 
the effect of delicate foliage. These 
leaves usually curve in growth, so that 
Be es they take a sickle shape; this ey jon. 
Flower of CUllarity is frequent though not in- ee 
Black Wil- variable, but the tip is often curved, — Black wil- 
oe Salix hen the body of the leaf is not, lw Salix 
Moreover, each leaf bears small green fac 
stipules, crescent-shaped, finely toothed, and persistent as 
long as the leaf is growing. The bark is rather rough and 
blackish, although individuals are found with bark fairly 
light brown. 
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