THE WILLOWS OF OHIO. 287 



The blue willow, Salix alba coerulea, has not yet been recog- 

 nized in Ohio. Indeed there are some willow students of high 

 authority who do not distinguish it at all in this country whatever 

 may be its status in the old world. 



As hinted above Salix alba hybridises with Salix fragilis 

 though not so frequently as might be supposed. It also crosses 

 with 5. lucida as described under that species. 



Salix babylonica L. Weeping Willow. 



The Weeping Willow grows into a large graceful tree 20 — 25 

 m. tall, easily recognized by its very long drooping twigs, which 

 have a habit peculiar to themselves of sending out numerous 

 short branches at a very acute angle with the main stem. Leaves 

 -commonly rather small, 7-10 cm. long, about 1 cm. broad, nar- 

 rowly lanceolate, long acuminate and often falcate at the tip, 

 narrowed to the base, sharply serrate, glabrous unless very 

 young, greenish glaucous or at least paler beneath, petiole short, 

 stipules apparently absent; primary veins forming regular acute 

 loops which run together into a more or less straight marginal; 

 this together with the very fine reticulations caused by the rela- 

 tive prominence of the tertiaries often gives the leaf a more or 

 less close resemblance to that of 5. nigra, which, however, is 

 never glaucous as in the present species. Aments on rather short 

 few leaved peduncles, rather dense, not more than 3 cm, h ng. 

 -capsule short conic, glabrous, green, all but sessile, style short. 



It is a remarkable fact that the staminate plant of this species 

 is unknown in America. It is sometimes stated that it does not 

 •occur at all and it is sufficiently rare to warrant such an assertion 

 but yet in the national herbarium is what I believe to be a gen- 

 uine specimen of the staminate flowers. It was collected by 

 Coville at Ithaca, N. Y., in 1885 (?). The leaves are similar to 

 those commonly appearing with the carpellate catkins. The 

 aments are short, less than 25 mm. long, densely flowered with a 

 rhachis densely covered with short hairs. The stamens are sub- 

 tended by a very short ovate scale which is much shorter than in 

 any other of the Fragiles. 



Doubtless it is with the Weeping Willow as with the Purple 

 Willow that the absence of one kind of flowers prevents the nat- 

 ural spread of the species and is responsible for the fact that so few 

 plants have escaped when conditions for their growth seem so 

 favorable. But whatever the reason it is certain that the species 

 though commonly planted, esceaps very rarely. During the last 



Plate V. Salix alba. 



Leaves and flowers typical; natural size; capsule enlarged three times, 

 photographed and brightened with pencil. 



