380 DR. JF. BUCHANAN WHITE'S 



One of the European examples of Salts cinerea makes a nearer 

 approach to the British form than any of the others. This 

 belongs to the modification which occurs in Portugal, and which 

 has been described as a species under the name S. atrocinerea, 



Brot., which Andersson treats as a synonym of cinerea. In the 



only specimen of this form which I have examined, the pubescence 

 of the leaves (which, though thinner, are not unlike those of the 

 British plant) is scanty and has a mixture of ferruginous hairs, 

 but the catkins (6 ) are remarkably pubescent and unlike ours. 

 If one can judge from this single specimen, S. atrocinerea is 

 worthy of more consideration than Andersson has given it. 



In the catkins I have not yet detected any constant difference 

 between the British and Continental S. cinerea. Andersson quotes 

 an observation of Lange that in cinerea the 6 catkins are centri- 

 fugal and in Caprea centripetal, and Hoffmann's illustrations of 

 cinerea seem to show this. According, however, to my observa- 

 tions our cinerea has most usually centripetal inflorescence. 



Without, however, a comparative study of living specimens of 

 the Ccntinental cinerea, I am unwilling to ascribe to the British 

 form varietal or subspecific rank, though it may be that further 

 investigations will show that it is worthy of such. 



Wimmer describes one variety only (/3. spuria, Wimm.) of S. 

 cinerea. This differs solely by its narrow lanceolate leaves, and 

 forms very like his specimens (Coll. No. 32) occur in Perthshire 

 and elsewhere. Andersson notices three leaf-varieties — a. latir 

 folia, fi.longifolia (which includes spuria, Wimm.), and y. brevi- 

 folia, with a subvariety micropJiylla resembling S. aurita. He 

 has also a catkin-variety (I. laxiflora), flowering later and with a 

 leafy peduncle to the catkiu. These leaf- varieties are useful only 

 as indicating a considerable range of variation in the. shape of the 

 leaves, since there are all degrees of gradation between them. 



As has been mentioned above, British cinerea seems, on the 

 whole, to be less pubescent than the Continental plant. In a not 

 inconsiderable number of specimens the pubescence of the year- 

 old twigs, usually stated to be an important characteristic of the 

 species, is almost or quite absent. Whether these specimens are 

 true cinerea or hybrids it is impossible to say, since in their other 

 characters they do not depart from cinerea. Frequently, too, the 

 adult leaves are nearly glabrous. 



Smith described, as has been already said, two supposed species 

 which more modern botanists hare placed as varieties or synonyms 





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