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Salix. 



Bud generally with one valvate scale, but rarely one scale with 

 imbricated margines, sometimes with 3 imbricated scales. Flowers 

 entomophilous dioecious, rarely monoecious with one bract-like scale 

 which is generally composed of outer perianth and bract completely 

 adhered. Male flowers with 5-6 petals which are metamorphosed to 

 nectaries and generally reduced to 1-3, rarely united into a ring ; 

 stamens 1-20 (1-5 whorled) with no pistil or rarely two abortive 

 pistils. Female flowers with nectaries as male flowers, one ovary 

 composed of 2 carpels, 1 forked inarticulated style which is persistent 

 or rarely fall off by shrinking, 2 parietal placenta with two to several 

 ovules each. 



As indicated above, Chosenia and Populus differ from Salix by having 

 anemophilous flowers, and Chosenia differ from Populus and Salix by 

 having no perianth, but having 2 distinct styles. 



Anemophily and entomophily are not seen in any sections of a 

 genus. They are sometimes more important than either the presence 

 or absence of perianth. If anemophilous Chosenia is Salix, Populus 

 must be also Salix. In this category anemophilous Artemisia should 

 be classed under entomophilous Chrysanthmum or Pyrethrum or vice 

 versa. 



The bract of Salix is not pure bract, but is a composition of bract 

 and outer perianth which adhered dorsi-ventrally. The development 

 of bract and perianth varies in individual flowers, or by individual 

 plants, or species. The part of bract which makes the dorsal side of the 

 scale, shrinks horizontally while the inner perianthial part is smooth 

 and often embraces the base of stamens, pistils and gland at its base, 

 sometimes its base fuses and shows a tendency to become something 

 like a cupule of Populus. This arrangement of bract and perianth of 

 Salix is easily seen when the flowering catkin is plucked off into half. 

 Several flowers just at the part plucked are divided into two parts, 

 or in other words, the main part with perianth joins to the upper 

 portion of being plucked and the bracts remain in the remaining 



