31"4 THE WILLOW. 



incident connected with this tree. An old Willow at 

 Carlsruhe having been nearly thrown down by a storm, 

 was supported by an oaken prop. Into this it sent down a 

 root, which fixed itself in the earth, and as it increased 

 in size, split off the bark from the prop, and eventually 

 became so stout as to render the artificial support no 

 longer necessary. 



A beautiful species of Willow, which is not so generally 

 cultivated as it deserves to be, is the Five-stamened 

 Willow, Salix pentandra. This is easily distinguished by 

 its large glossy leaves, more like those of the Portugal 

 Laurel than of the other Willows. During the whole of 

 summer it has quite the appearance of an evergreen, and 

 towards the end of June is very conspicuous with its seed- 

 vessels, which, being then ripe, burst and disclose a great 

 abundance of glossy silk attached to the seeds. It has 

 this further recommendation, that the foliage emits a 

 fragrant aromatic perfume. It grows in watery places in 

 the north of England and Ireland. In the latter country 

 I have seen bushy hedges of it stretching across the 

 extensive bogs which abound in the neighbourhood of the 

 Giant's Causeway, scenting the air, and giving a cheerful 

 appearance to the otherwise gloomy landscape. It forms 

 a more compact tree than the other kinds, but the shoots 

 are too brittle to be of much value. 



The little Willow which in some districts is so abun- 

 dant on commons, trailing its wiry branches along the 

 ground, or occasionally availing itself of the support 

 afforded by Heath and Furze to assume the form of a 

 dwarf shrub, is the Brown Willow, Salixfusca. Its leaves 

 are glossy above, and very silky beneath ; and its long 

 twigs are conspicuous in May and June, from the numerous 

 yellow catkins arranged at regular intervals along opposite 

 sides of the stem. During the latter part of summer the 

 seeds of tho fertile plant give to the ground the appearance 

 of having been strewed with cotton. i 



. Last and least among the British trees of this family 



