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BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



times present, and the fruit is often hard and 

 solid ; rarely a berry. 



There are a great number of different species 

 of Willow, some of which are high trees, and 

 others tall shrubs ; and many of the species are 

 fond of wet situations, and grow close to the 

 water. Several small trailing species are, however, 

 found in mountainous regions, or with dwarf birch 

 in the Arctic regions. The shrub-like Willows 

 are called Osiers or Sallows, and the Osiers are 

 largely cultivated, and used for basket-work. 



Rose Willow — Salix purpurea 

 (Plate LXXXIX) 



This Willow grows on river banks, and in ditches 

 and marshes, and is one of the species cultivated 

 as Osiers. It flowers in March and April. The 

 shoots are upright, very slender, and covered with 

 blood-red bark. The leaves are lanceolate and 

 alternate. The male catkins are at first clothed 

 with blood-red scales. 



Most species of Willow and Sallow flower quite 



early in the spring, from February to April ; and 

 they are very attractive to wild bees and also to 

 moths. The season for collecting moths opens 

 with Sallow-bloom and closes with Ivy-bloom. 

 There are also large numbers of insects 

 which feed on Willow, at least in their earlier 

 stages. Among these are the black, red-spotted 

 spiny caterpillars of the Camberwell Beauty 

 ( Vanessa Antiopa). The butterfly, which measures 

 nearly three inches in expanse, is chocolate-brown, 

 with a broad whitish or pale yellow border, within 

 which is a row of blue spots. The trunks of the 

 larger species of Willow are liable to be riddled 

 by the flesh-coloured boring caterpillars of the Goat 

 Moth (Trypanus Cossus). They will attack other 

 trees, but are most often found in Willows. The 

 moth is a thick-bodied insect, with broad grey 

 wings lined with black, and often measures over 

 three inches in expanse. 



The caterpillar of the Puss Moth (Centra vinula) 

 feeds on Willow. It is a stout green caterpillar, 

 with a blunt head, reddish-brown in front, and a 

 wide, reddish-brown, saddle-iike mark over the 



