314 OHIO STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



culiar leaves. It it necessarily quite local in its distribution but 

 probably grows in most of the sphagnum bogs in the state. 

 There are specimens in the state herbarium from Williams and 

 Portage counties and from the Licking Reservoir. 



I am informed by Mr. P. A. Rydberg that the typical 5. 

 myrtilloides of Linneus was a European plant and that it differs 

 slightly but constantly from the American species, hitherto con- 

 sidered as the variety pedicellaris, which should consequently 

 be considered distinct. 



As stated above Salix pedicellaris is easily distinguished from 

 all the other species with which we have to deal. But more than 

 once I have strongly suspected it of hybridising with 5. discolor 

 which occupies the same territory. But so far I have not yet 

 been able to satisfy myself of the hybridity and so leave the 

 question in abeyance. 



PURPUREAE. 



Shrubs, leaves mostly oblong, oblanceolate or linear-oblan- 

 ceolate, nearly entire, glabrescent, stamens more or less perfectly 

 united into one with 4 anthers, capsules globose-conic, nearly 

 sessile, silky. 



Salix Purpurea L. Purple Willow. 



A shrub reaching a height of about 3 m. putting forth a 

 dense growth of slender wands from the larger branches. Leaves 

 scattered or opposite, sometimes 10 cm. long and 2 cm. broad, 

 oblong-oblanceolate, oblong or rarely elliptical, mostly broadest 

 above the middle, abruptly acute, generally gradually narrowed 

 to the round base, entire or obscurely serrate, glabrous, dark pur- 

 plish-green, paler beneath, petioles short, stipules apparently 

 absent. Catkins expanding from pussies, sessile with a few small 

 green bracts, scales more or less pilose on the back, oblong, blunt 

 with conspicuously purpled tips, very concave above and strongly 

 reflexed in the staminate, less so in the carpellate, capsule broadly 

 ovoid, silky, sessile, style very short or none. 

 Salix purpurea is an Old World species planted in America largely 

 for its twigs which are much used in basket work. It has been 

 long reported in the manuals as escaped in this country but 

 though it is fairly common over the state it is rarely that one sees 

 a clump growing in a place where it would not likely have been 

 planted. It certainly has not esceped to any such degree as have 

 5. alba and S. fragilis. In America the carpellate plant is very 

 rare and the species is mostly propogated by cuttings. This may 

 account for its inability to spread as in the case of Salix babylon- 

 ica. 



