Nov., 1903 .] Notes on Interesting Ohio Willows. 
13 
SalIX BABYLONICA X S. FRAGILIS. 
This cross is common in Europe but so far as I know has not 
hitherto been reported in America. It is altogether to be expect- 
ed and it is ver}- strange that it is so scarce. As is well known, 
Sa/ix babylonica exists in America — with extremely rare excep- 
tions — onl}' as a carpellate plant. The flowers, however, genearlly 
seem to be fertilized for the capsules fill out well. The natural 
inference is that the pollen came from either S. alba or S. fragilis, 
the most closely related forms. If such be the case it is very 
strange that these h3'bridized seeds do not grow into trees more 
often than they do. 
The single plant which I was fortunate enough to find is grow- 
ing in a quarr>' near Sandusky, where it has taken root in a waste 
place from which the stone has been removed. There are no 
other trees near b>q and neither of the parents was seen in the 
immediate vicinitj', though both are common in the region, Salix 
babylonica as an ornamental tree planted in the cit\' 3’ards, and 
.Salix jragilis as a ^■er3' common escape. 
Its habit is striking, from a hundred feet awa3’. When I first 
saw it I commenced to wonder what it could be. The first 
thought was Salix nigra. The leaves are narrow and about the 
the same color as S. nigra. But there is something which gives 
an impression, when at a distance, different from A. nigra, though 
you cannot tell what it is. When you get up to it 3’ou find the 
leaves glaucous below ! It cannot be S. nigra, it does not look 
like S. anngdaloidcs, nor S. alba, nor S. fragilis, and so 3’ou ma3^ 
go over the catalogue successively den3'ing it a place in aii3" of the 
species, so peculiar does it seem. 
Mo.st of the twigs are long, slender, semipendent. The buds 
on slender twigs are small, as in the weeping willow, on ranker 
growth, larger, about midway between the two species. The leaves 
on the upper branches are small, 6-7 cm. long, 8-10 mm. broad, 
quite glaucous or only paler beneath, close and even, sharp serrate, 
with a venation more irregular than that of Salix fragilis, pri- 
maries close with a strong suggestion of a marginal. On water 
shoots, the leaves ajjproximate A. fragilis more closed* in form, 
being long, 16 cm., and narrow, 2 cm., with more distinct teeth. 
The veins, too, are more similar to A. /^ragilis, but more irregu- 
larit3' is evident and the marginal is still suggested. 
The flowers, especially if they were carpellate, would be very 
interesting. They might show some peculiarities worth3^ of 
note. The identification without them cannot be said to be as 
positive as it might be. But the leaves are so closely intermediate 
as to leave but little doubt. If it should turn out to be something 
else it would be of even greater interest, for it is evidently very 
different from aii3-thing else hitherto discovered in our Ohio flora. 
