156 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Feb. 



becoming nearly glabrous in this intermediate form. According 

 to Hooker's description and figure the capsule is glabrous; but 

 glabrous forms are not so common as tomentose. They occur 

 both on the mainland and on Vancouver Island. 



5. Hookeriana flowers at Vancouver in March, shortlv 

 after S. Scouleriana, from which it is easily distinguished 

 by its furry-tomentose branchlets, which are very brittle at a 

 point just above the fork; by its long style and short stigmas, 

 and by its usuallv very large, erect, fertile catkins. 5. Scouleriana 

 has little or no stvle, long stigmas, merelv puberulent branchlets 

 and the fertile catkins soon recurve. The staminate catkins of 

 5. Hookeriana are larger than those of 5. Scouleriana, and some- 

 times in two sets the second set not flowering for a month or 

 six weeks after the first, when apparentlv no late pistillate 

 catkins are in flower. It rarely produces stipules, a point about 

 which Hooker was doubtful. 



The closest allies of S. Hookeriana in British Columbia seem 

 to be S. Barraltiaua of the Rockies, which always has large 

 stipules, and 5. Piperi Bebb, if a few-clumps occurring at Van- 

 couver can be so assigned. These clumps have large, oblong 

 leaves shining above and glaucous-pubescent below, and so far 

 agree very well with Bebb's description; but the branches are 

 slightly pubescent, the leaves firm rather than thin, and the 

 capsule may have a very slight pubescence at the apex. The 

 willow is thus, as far as the pistillate plant is concerned, inter- 

 mediate between the form of 5. Hookeriana with glabrous or 

 slightly pubescent capsules, and S. Piperi. The staminate flowers 

 have not been observed. 



In the autumn form this willow quite differs from 

 5. Hookeriana. Its leaves turn vellow, and fall late; while those 

 of 5. Hookeriana turn more or less blackish, and fall earliest of 

 the coast willows. As the type of S. Piperi came from Seattle, 

 this species may be expected to occur in southern British 

 Columbia. 



J. K. Henry, Vancouver, B.C. 



MEETING OF THE BOTANICAL BRANCH. 



Held at the Universitv Club rooms, 150 Elgin Street, on 

 the evening of January 17th, the following members being 

 present: E. D. Eddy, R' B. Whvte, L. H. Newman, C. T- Tullev, 

 T. YV. D wight and J. R. Fryer. 



Mr. L. H. Newman led in the discussion of a review of some 

 recent work dealing with the phenomenon of variation in plants. 

 He first reviewed some work done by Fruwirth on potatoes. 

 FruAvirth investigated the variations occurring in successive 



