l894-J BUSINESS PROCEEDINGS. 255 



variability of these forms. The question of hybridity has been 

 gradually assuming more importance, and there is a growing belief 

 among botanists that more hybrids occur than was formerly supposed. 



In a recent article on " Nithsdale Willows," by Mr. James 

 Fingland, in the Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway 

 Natural History and Antiquarian Society, this subject is discussed, 

 and from it the following facts are gathered : 



In 1838 Sir J. E. Smith, in his " English Flora," said that he had 

 labored thirty years at the task of specific definition, and as a result 

 of his studies gave sixty-four species. 



Since that time the estimated number of species has varied 

 according to the opinions of different botanical authors. The last 

 edition of the " London Catalogue of Plants " gave ninety-six forms 

 of British Willows, thirty-one having specific rank, the rest being 

 classed as varieties or sub-species. 



Not long since Dr F. Buchanan White published in the Journal 

 of the Linnean Society a work entitled a " Revision of British 

 Willows," in which he introduces a new system of classification, and 

 overturns previous methods. He bases his classification on a recog- 

 nition of the circumstance of hybridization being an active element 

 in causing the great variability in willows, a fact which the early 

 salicologists were unwilling to admit. 



It has been found that binary and ternary hybrids exist spontane- 

 ously, and by experiments in cross-fertilization it has been proved 

 that plants could be obtained that represented a pedigree of six 

 species. 



Theoretically it is said that any one species of willow may 

 hybridize with any other, but, practically, the number of natural 

 hybrids is limited, owing to different periods of flowering, and non- 

 proximity of many species. In the '' Revision " the number of true 

 species is reckoned as seventeen, and the number of hybrids as forty- 

 one, but the latter number has been added to since the' author 

 published his work. 



Miss Beckwith also presented notes upon the number of species 

 of plants as estimated by an Italian botanist, P. A. Saccardo. The 

 total number now estimated is : Phanerogams, 105,231 ; Cryptogams, 

 68,475. Total, 173,706. 



Miss Mary E. Macauley presented some willow catkins which 

 had developed unusually early, also a specimen of Japanese Witch 

 Hazel, in blossom, from Seneca Park. 



