AMENTACEiE. 479 



the downy W., but tlie leaves are usually ovate, covered on both sides with 

 a thick, soft, silky wool, and the catkins longer, clothed with dense, long, 

 eilky hairs, of a fine golden-yellow ; when in fruit they attain near 3 inches 

 in length. Capsules sessile, cottony, tapering at the top, more than 3 lines 

 long. 



A lugh northern and Arctic species, both in Europe and Asia. "Very 

 local in Britain, and only in a few rocky glens in the eastern Grampians in 

 Scotland. Fl. early summer. 



13. VTliortle 'Willow. Salix myrsinites, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. 1360, S. procumhens, Suppl. t. 2753.) ' 



A low, scraggy, much branched shrub, sometimes closely procumbent, 

 though not creeping underground, sometimes rising to the height of a foot 

 or more. Leaves small, orbicular, ovate or lanceolate, bright green, with 

 prominent veins, and finely toothed ; usually with long, silky hairs when 

 young, becoming glabrous when old. Catkins loosely cylindrical, ^ to 1 inch 

 long in flower, IJ to 2 inches when in fruit, always borne on short, leafy 

 thoots or peduncles. Capsules nearly sessile, about 2 lines long, more or 

 less hairy. 



In the mountains of northern and Arctic Europe and Asia, and at con- 

 siderable elevations in the Alps and Pyrenees. In Britain, only in the 

 Scotch Highlands. Fl. early summer. Under the name of S. arbuscula the 

 British Floras include the plants figured in Eng. Bot. t. 1361, 1362, 1363, 

 and 2341, which appear to be either varieties of the whortle W., of rather 

 larger growth, with short peduncles to the catkins, and the leaves rather 

 glaucous undei'neath, or perhaps in some instances small-leaved varieties of 

 the tea-leaved W., showing in their more toothed leaves and more leafy 

 peduncles an, approaich to the whortle W. 



14<. Reticulate V^illow. Salis reticulata, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 1908.) 



A prostrate, much branched shrub, often spreading to a considerable 

 extent, but not rising above 5 or 6 inches from the ground ; the branches 

 glabrous or hairy when young. Leaves obovate or orbicular, quite entire, 

 f to 1 inch long and broad, green, glabrous, and much wrinkled above, 

 ■white underneath. Catkins on rather long, leafless peduncles, at the ends of 

 abort branches, opposite to the last leaf ; both males and females cylindrical, 

 i to 1 inch long, shortly downy but not sUky-hairy. Capsules cottony, 

 about li lines long. 



In the mountains of northern and Arctic Europe, Asia, and America, and 

 at considerable elevations in the gi-eat mountain-ranges of central Europe 

 and Russian Asia. In Britain, probably confined to the Scotch Highlands. 

 FL summer. 



15. Dwarf TVillow. Salix herbacea, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1907.) 

 The smallest of British shrubs, the half-underground stems creeping and 

 rooting sometimes to a considerable extent, the branches seldom rising 

 above 2 inches from the ground. Leaves obovate or orbicular, about half an 

 inch long, finely crenated, green, glabrous, and veined like those of the 

 whortle W., or sometimes slightly silky-hairy when young. Catkins very 

 Bmall, ovoid, and few-flowered, on very short, leafless peduncles, or almost 



