542 ON SEEDLINGS 



to the number of carpels of which it is composed. The seeds 

 are numerous, small or minute, furnished with a dense coma 

 of long, silky hairs arising from the funicle, and exalbuminous. 

 The embryo is straight and conforms to the interior of the 

 seed with oblong plano-convex cotyledons, and a very short 

 inferior radicle. 



Seedlings. The cotyledons of Salix repens (fig. 673) are 

 oblong- oval, petiolate, very small and show a midrib but 

 indistinctly. The first leaf is lanceolate, subacute, entire, 

 rounded at the base, one-nerved and exstipulate. Seeds sown 

 in a greenhouse germinated in the remarkably short space of 

 two days. The cotyledons of S. cinerea do not differ, in any 

 appreciable degree from those of its congener. The two 

 primary leaves are ovate, entire, or show a small tooth on 

 each side. The third one is oval, acute, and tapers to the base. 

 The ultimate leaves vary between oblong, elliptic, and obovate. 

 The seedlings were self-sown. 



Salix repens, L. (fig. 678). 



Hypocotyl erect or ascending, terete, glabrous, pale green or 

 reddish, 2*5-3 mm. long. 



Cotyledons oblong-oval, obtuse, entire, petio- 

 late, with an indistinct midrib, glabrous, light 

 shining green ; lamina 2'5-2'75 mm. long, 1-5-2 

 mm. wide ; petiole semiterete, flattened above, 

 thickened at its insertion on the stem, 1 mm. 

 long. 



Stem in the early seedling stage erect, terete, 

 pale green, glabrous, ultimately decumbent or 

 creeping, much branched, woody. 



Leaves simple, cauline, alternate, exstipulate or stipulate, petio- 

 late, alternately incurvinerved. 



No. 1. Lanceolate, subacute, entire, rounded at the base, shortly 

 petiolate, exstipulate, with a distinct midrib but no other discernible 

 venation in the young state when fresh, deep shining green above, 

 glaucous beneath, glabrous ; petiole grooved above, convex on the 

 back, short. 



Salix cinerea, L. 



Hypocotyl a deep purple, 5 mm. long. 

 Cotyledons very similar to those of S. repens. 



