DIOECIA—DIANDRIA. Salix. 167 



of 30 feet ; towards autumn casting the bark of its trunk, and 

 larger branches, in broad solid portions, cracking angularly 

 asunder, like the Plane-tree. Young branches erect, long, tough 

 and pliant, smooth, leafy, brownish, somewhat brittle at their 

 joint or insertion. Leaves always perfectly smooth, numerous, 

 scattered, stalked, 3 or 4 inches long, and an inch broad, li- 

 near-oblong, being contracted at each end only, for scarcely 

 more than half an inch ; at the extremity into a taper point j at 

 the base into a somewhat unequal, rounded, but not ovate, 

 shape J their margin copiously beset with rounded, glandular 

 teeth, or serratures ; the upper surface bright green ; under 

 pale, or slightly glaucous 5 their fine slender veins interbranch- 

 ing towards the edges. Footstalks about half an inch long, 

 channelled j minutely glandular at the summit ; dilated, but ab- 

 rupt, at the base, without any swelling of the branch beneath 

 their insertion. Stiptikis ovate, or half-ovate, oblique, crenate, 

 veiny, very variable in size, often short and abrupt ; often en- 

 tirely wanting. Catkins solitary, at the ends of short, lateral, 

 leafy branches, which in summer are axillary. Scales obovate, 

 obtuse, of a tawny yellow, clothed externally with fine, long, 

 spreading, more or less plentiful, hairs. Nectary single, with a 

 blunt recurved point. Filam. 3, equal, twice the length of their 

 scale. Anth. roundish, of 2 lobes. Germ, ovate-oblong, com- 

 pressed parallel to the scale, perfectly smooth, rather abrupt. 

 Style very short, with 2 spreading cloven stigmas. Seeds with 

 a long, dense, snow-white, woolly crown. 



The narrower-leaved Willows generally come under the denomi- 

 nation of Osiers, of which this is one of the most valuable. It 

 is cultivated for white basket-work, producing rods 8 or 9 feet 

 long, tough and pliant, even when stripped of their bark, and 

 very durable. They are cut down every year. 



Several varieties, if not distinct species, are comprehended under 

 the name of S. triandra. Of these I venture to separate one as 

 S. Hoffmanniana, which seems to be the triandra of German bo- 

 tanists in general. Another, called French Willow, cultivated 

 in Sussex, as well as in the east parts of England, has leaves 

 but half the size of our triandra above described, with more 

 slender footstalks, and larger stipulas. This Mr. Crowe used 

 to name S. contorta, esteeming it a doubtful species, not sup- 

 posed to be wild in Britain. It is from 12 to 15 feet high, with 

 leaxies of a fine bright green, and large yellow catkins. Stam. 3, 

 or more, thrice as long as the scales. I have not seen the fer- 

 tile ^ow^ers, nor am I informed of the peculiar properties of this 

 plant. 



S. triandra of Villars is now distinguished by Fliigge and Willde- 

 now, n. 5, as <S. Villarsiana, and is not known in Britain. 



S. Hoppeana, Willd. n, 2, is characterized by having some catkins 

 composed partly of barren, partly feitile^ Jlorels. Its leaves, 



