EXPERIMENTS IN CROSS-J?ERTlLISATION OF SALICES. 123 



still, in the course of the last five or six years, the Rev. Wm. R. 

 Linton at Shirley and myself at Bournemouth have been able to 

 produce a fair number of satisfactory hybrids ; and we are issuing 

 some of the most interesting products in our Set of British Salices. 



For instance, S. viminalis L. ( ? ) was fertilised with pollen of 

 S. r&pens L., and in due time a good growth of seedlings was estab- 

 lished, some male, some female. All the sowing came true, and the 

 plants retained in the garden are all fairly intermediate ; but there is 

 great variety of expression, and the eye can easily detect differences 

 in most of the individuals of the crop. None of the plants resemble 

 the S. repens variety rosmarinifolia, E. B. tab. 1366, reproduced by 

 Syme to represent what he calls S. rosmarinifolia var. angustifolia 

 Wulf. ; but some agree pretty nearly with E. B. tab. 1365 {8. ros- 

 marinifolia "Linn." Boswell-Syme) which Wimmer detected as 

 representing S. viminalis — repens. 



An apparent failure has occasionally been converted by accident 

 into a fortunate mistake, as when 8. Myrsinites was fertilized with 

 ;S'. Arbuscula pollen, and a genuine undoubted example of S. Myrsinites 

 X phylici/olia came out !* Two or three such cases have occurred, 

 in which a much-desired hybrid was produced unintentionally. 

 This intermediate plant of 8. Myrsinites x p/iyHcifolia ( $ ) has been 

 of the greatest service, not only in supplying excellent material for 

 the Set, but in exposing the claims of one or two pretenders. 



Of another hybrid supposed to be British, viz. 8. Lcvppoyium x 

 repens, the only published plant has lately been withdrawn. 

 Whether it is a British hybrid, or not, authentic plants have been 

 growing at Bournemouth, made by design, and have served for the 

 issue of specimens which may at any time prove very useful for 

 comparison. 



Besides the production of some hybrids which are known to 

 occur in nature, the Rev. W. R. Linton and myself have experi- 

 mented in the direction of the probable, but not as yet recorded : 

 and have found that some of these resist all our efforts so far, 

 while some others have been made without difficulty. Three of 

 these, which have been developed successfully, and which might be 

 discovered in a limited range of country among the mountainous 

 districts of Scotland, have been thought worthy of issue in the Set 

 of British Salices, and a short account of each of them is subjoined. 



S. Caprea X LANATA, nov. liybr. Set of British Willows (1894, 

 &c.). No. 88. Habit low, spreading or ascending ; leaves subentire, 

 large, roundish ovate, very shortly acuminate, green above, glaucous 

 grey below, very silky at first, then pi. m. glabrescent reticulate ; 

 stipules large, usually present, very obliquely pointed or rouuded. 

 Catkins large, handsome, resembling 8. lanata ; scales oblong- 

 obovate to oblong-lanceolate, densely clothed with long silky hairs; 

 nectaries square or oblong. 8. Caprea L. has been seen on Meall 

 nan Tarmachan, Mid-Perth, at the 8. lanata elevation, and also is 



* The pollen of S. Arbuscula does not take at all readily. In this case of 

 course the female S. Myrsinites catkin had been pre-fertilised with S. phylici- 

 folia pollen, probably by bees, which are very busy among the willow flowers. 



