CHAP. CIII. SALICA‘CEZ. SA‘LIX. 2 1487 
kinds which most resemble each other, not only may the species having a close 
natural affinity be recognised at a glance, but even the tyro will be greatly 
assisted in tracing and identifying his specimens. If, however, the usual 
arrangement of the species be adopted, in which the sections are charac- 
terised by having the ovaries naked or pubescent; the leaves glabrous or 
downy, serrated or entire [as in Smith’s English Flora, and the Sal. Wob.); 
then species widely separated by nature and habit must necessarily be 
grouped together, not to mention that these characters are in themselves 
liable to great changes. Fries (in Syllog. Nov. Pl. Soc. Bot. Nat.; Ratisb. 
edita, t. 2. p. 36.) first distributed the Swedish species of this genus into natural 
groups, according to characters taken from various oe of the plant. In 
like manner, I have attempted a similar distribution of the European species ; 
but, first, I shall offer a few words with respect to the characters according to 
which I have divided the genus into sections and species. 
* A character taken from the catkins appearing earlier than, at the same 
time with, or later than, the leaves is of great importance; but one taken 
from the situation and insertion of the catkins is still more so. The situation 
may be in three different modes. 1. In this a catkin is produced at the tip of 
a branchlet, with a few others below it, and they are all sessile; the leaves 
proceeding from buds at the base of the catkins. I only know of one instance 
of this, S. landta. 2. A budon the tip of the last year’s branchlet puts forth 
a catkin, and the peduncle on which it is situated increases in size, and bears 
leaves, in the axils of which are the buds of the following year. This peduncle 
is, therefore, persistent, and continues the branch. This is the case in S. 
reticulata, S. herbacea, S. polaris, S. retiisa, and S. U‘va-irsi. 3. A terminal 
bud, and generally more protruded beneath it, produce leaf-bearing shoots, 
and the flower buds are situated beneath these. All the other species which 
are known to me, except those enumerated above, belong to this division ; 
and they may be subdivided as follows: —1. Those in which the catkin is 
sessile, on a very short peduncle, or as it were incipient, and bears at its base 
weak scale-like leaves; being thus lateral, sessile, and bracteated at the base. 
2. Those in which the peduncle grows into a branchlet, and bears floral leaves 
not very distant from the catkin, which afterwards become true leaves, but 
without buds in their axils: from this branchlet is formed the lateral catkin, 
which is peduncled with a leafy peduncle. All the species which protrude 
their catkins before their leaves belong to the first of these subdivisions ; and 
all those which do not protrude their catkins till after their leaves, with many 
of those which protrude their catkins at the same time as their leaves, to the 
second. This character seldom changes ; and only a few species (for example, 
S. limdsa) bear on one plant, or, as a variety, on two plants, catkins which 
have short peduncles, and are surrounded at their base with very minute 
scale-like leaves ; and also those that are peduncled, and have true leaves on 
their peduncles. Even in these varying forms Nature shows her inexhaustible 
. fertility, and her wonderful skill and power of adaptation in creation : despi- 
sing the too great carefulness of learned ca tho hasten to build prisons for 
their own systems, she delights in disturbing magic circles, and, playfully 
breaking loose from the chains in which they have attempted to bind her, she 
far exceeds Proteus himself in versatility. 
“ The importance of the characters which the pedicel of the capsule offers 
has been pointed out by Wahlenberg. Its length relatively to the gland, 
which is never wanting, is a very constant character, varying only in a few 
epee but, to be rightly observed, it ought to be seen just at the time when 
€ ovary attains the size of a capsule, which happens a little after flowering ; 
or, in dried specimens, if accuracy is wanted, part of the female catkin must be 
ned in boiling water, and afterwards dried in blotting-paper, before ex- 
tion. In dried specimens, the pedicel is so brittle, that in the analysis 
As om preserved entire ; or, from being joined to a ee not less fragile, 
it is frequently injured. Besides, it must be remarked, that some catkins 
have been found in which the inferior flowers were very remotely situated. 
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