163 



DIOECIA D I AN Dili A. 

 448. SALIX. Willow, Sallow, and Osier. 



Lhm. Gen. 514. Juss. 408. Sni. in Reesa Cijcl. v. 31. FL Br. 1 0:39. 

 Tourn. t.364. Lam. t. 802. GcErtn. t. 90. 



Nat. Orel. Amoitaccd:. Linn. 50. Juss. 99. 



Barr.Jl. Catkin, oblong, many-flowered, imbricated every 

 way. Cal. a single-flowered, oblong, spreading, flexible 

 scale. Pet. none. iVtr/. a small, lateral, oblong, abrupt, 

 compressed, honey-bearing gland, sometimes double. 

 Filam. 2, rarely 1, or from 3 to 5 or more, straight, 

 thread-shaped, longer than the calyx; in some partly 

 combined. Auth. 2-lobed, of 2 or 4- cells. 



Fert.Jl. Catk. and Cal. as in the harr. fl. Pet. none. Nect. as 

 in the harr.Jl. Germ, superior, ovate, sessile or stalked. 

 Stijle terminal, various in length, extending a little be- 

 yond the calyx, permanent. Stigm. 2, notched and ob- 

 tuse, or cloven and acute, spreading. Caps, ovate, ob- 

 tuse, or tapering, of 1 cell, with 2 revolute, concave 

 valves. Seeds numerous, minute, oval, tufted, with soft, 

 simple, upright hairs. 



Trees or shrubs, with round, flexible branches. Leaves sim- 

 ple, undivided, stalked, generally alternate, deciduous. 

 Slipulas in pairs at the base o^ihe footstalks, very variable 

 in size, deciduous. Catkins early, erect or drooping, 

 either from the same buds as the leaves, or more com- 

 monly iVom diflercnt ones. '^YhaiY Jlorets are almost uni- 

 versally separated, being all barren on one plant, and 

 fertile on another of the same species, without the slight- 

 est possible difl'erence, in the characters or appearance 

 of the two individuals, in any other respect. Sometimes 

 indeed a barren Jlorct or two occurs in a fertile catkin, 

 especially among the nionandrons species ; sometimes 

 catkins liavc been found nearly equally fertile and barren, 

 as in our 7i, 4-9, 50 and 51. In ;/. 52, S. olcifolia, Mr. 

 Borrer has, for several years, traced the progress of this 

 mutation in the organs of impregnation, which confirms 

 a report, whose origin does not appear, of ^\'illows 

 changing the natme ot" their blossoms. This however is 

 treated as a fiction by Liinueus, in his (ien. PL 511-, 

 without anv assigne<l authoritv, aiul he j)roves mistaken. 



M 2 



