258 EARED WILLOW 



smooth, except a slight puberulence at the tip, green 

 touched with red or violet, passing to olive- or purple- 

 brown. Buds rather large, 5 6 mm. long, the flower- 

 buds especially so, 10 12 mm., keeled at the margins, 

 convex, erect but not closely appressed, orange tawny 

 to red. Long shoots often thick. 



S. aurita, L., the Eared Willow, is much like S. Caprea, 

 but the twigs are shorter and more slender, and caducous 

 pubescent at the tips. Buds less pointed and darker red- 

 brown. Leaf-scar narrower. The twigs may have a grey 

 bloom, but are otherwise brown, passing to greenish grey. 



The grey toraentose variety, cinerea, has been dealt 

 with on p. 256. 



[Buchanan White has examined the sources of con- 

 fusion between these three forms which he accepts as 

 species, and pointed out that in 8. aurita the twigs are 

 more slender and glabrous, in S. cinerea. more pubescent 

 and stouter ; in S. Caprea the one-year-old twigs and 

 buds are normally glabrous. At the same time inter- 

 mediate varieties and at least three hybrids render the 

 characters very unreliable in detail, in the absence of 

 leaves and flowers (see p. 256).] 



