Rem.irks en fame Br'itlfi Spec Us of Stilix, f\i 



mofi: difficult fetSlion, and I flatter myfclf I ihall be able to furnlili 

 foine new information rcipt:6l:inL; it. 



Some d.fficiilties which attend the inveftigation of this genus are 

 almjO: peculiar to it. Willows t.) be well und?rrtood require to b« 

 fludied at three different periods of their growth ; firil when in 

 flower, at which time the leaves in general fcarccly appear at all ; 

 next when the caplulcs are fully formed and nearly ripe, and the 

 leaves juft expanded, with their flipu'aj ; l-iflly when the leaves have 

 attaned their full fize, and all remains of tlie fruflification have dif- 

 appeared. In this lad ftatc the true form, and pubelcencc or fmooth- 

 nefs, of the leaves is tobeknoA'n; in the fecond the nature of the 

 Jiipulty which frequently are very deciduous, and the figure and fur*- 

 face of the capfulcs ; whcr.as in the (ii fl Hate the very difcriminative 

 and curious parts of the flower, the flamina, neilaria, and, above all, 

 the proportion and ilrucSlure oi the germen, fly I e and ftigmata, aro 

 only to be ieaint. I have found the lafl-mentioned parts fo con-*' 

 ftant and important, fo flrongly indicative of natural fu'^divifions oi 

 the genus, that if we could ar all tiines command them, they wouk4 

 certainly aflbrd better characters for that purpofe than th^ margin of 

 pubefcence of tlie leaves. But the dioecious nature of thefe plants is 

 anotb-^r inconvenience, and j^eculiarly militatei againll a general ar- 

 rangement of tiiem according to parts, which it is an even chance 

 wh^ether we meet with or not, aad which are rAoreover fo very 

 tranfient. 



ii i ihould pro ve- more fuccefsful in treating the fuhje»5l un<ler 

 confidciation than my picdcceilors Mr. HudJoii and Mr. Lightfoot, 

 it will be greatly owinj; to three caufes. Firft the publication of 

 Profefl'or H( ffman's HJloria Saliamiy fo full, fo accurate, 1 might 

 almoft lay fo perteel, as tar as it goes. This work the authors of- the 

 "Fhra A ghca and ¥lora Scotka never knew. In the next p!ace the 

 opportunity 1 have had of lludyiog ihe Lmnxan original fpecimens^ 



ia 



