46 
sented on Chinese porcelains and wood-carvings. It is uncertain when 
this tree first reached Europe but it was probably brought to western 
Europe from Asia Minor late in the seventeenth or early in the eight- 
eenth century, and as it was supposed to be a native of the valley of 
the Euphrates it was named Salix babylonica. It is unknown when 
this tree was first brought to North America where for many years it 
has been exceedingly common in the middle and some of the southern 
states. In Massachusetts it often suffers from cold, and this tree is 
less common here now than it was fifty years ago. Hybrids of Salix 
babylonica with the European S. alba and S. fragilis are sometimes 
cultivated in the northern states where they are very hardy and the 
most beautiful of the trees with pendulous branches which can be suc- 
cessfully grown in Massachusetts. The best known perhaps of these 
trees, S. Salanionii, is supposed to be a hybrid between 5. babylonica 
and S. alba. It is a large tree with a broad head of di’ooping branches 
and leaves which are dark green above and silvery white on the lower 
surface. Only the female tree is known and it is not known where it 
originated. This is a tree which should be more generally known and 
planted m this country. The tree known as the Wisconsin Willow is 
probably of similar parentage. This tree has been largely planted in 
the northern states where it is perfectly hardy and a handsome and 
useful tree; the branches are perhaps rather less pendulous than those of 
S. Salamonii. S. elegantissima, S. blanda and S. pendulina are supposed 
to be hybrids of S. babylonica and S. fragilis, and are intermediate in 
habit and foliage between their parents. <S. elegantissima is often 
found under the name of S. babylonica in regions where the latter is 
not hardy. In the northern states it is sometimes called Thurlow’s 
Willow. S. alba vitellina pendula is usually considered a pendulous 
form of the Golden-barked Willow, or as a hybrid of the latter and 
S. babylonica. Whatever its origin may be this is one of the handsom- 
est Willows which can be grown in the northern states. In nurseries 
in this country it sometimes appears as 5. babylonica, var. ramulis 
aureis, or as the Golden-barked Babylon Willow. The Kilmarnock 
Willow is a form (var. pendula) of the European S. caprea. It is a 
plant with thick pendulous branches, and when grown as a standard 
these form a regular umbrella-like head. This is a popular tree with 
American nurserymen but the specimens which they produce are more 
curious than beautiful. 
Beeches. The European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, has produced sev- 
eral forms with pendulous branches. The best known of these trees, 
var. pendula, does not grow very tall, and the principal branches are 
horizontal and wide-spreading, and from them the branchlets hang 
down nearly vertically. In habit this is one of the most remarkable 
of all the trees of abnormal growth, and the great tent-like specimens 
which can be seen in Europe are remarkable objects. This tree was 
first planted in the United States many years ago. It is perfectly 
hardy in the northern states but grows slowly here, and there are no 
exceptionally large specimens in this country. Other varieties of the 
European Beech are var. miltonensis and var. bornyensis, with more 
erect trunks and horizontal and pendulous branches; they are handsome 
trees still little known in this country. Other forms of the Weeping 
Beech are known as var. pagnyensis, var. remillyensis and var. tortuosa. 
