THE WILLOW. 



255 



the support afforded by Heath and Furze, to, 

 assume the form of a dwarf shrub, is the Brown 

 Willow, Salix fusca. 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 sum^mer, the seeds of the fertile plant 

 give to the ground the appearance of having 

 been strewed with cotton. 



Last and least among the British trees of this 

 family comes the Herbaceous Willow, Salix her- 

 hacea. The ordinary height of this diminutive 



HERBACEOUS WILLOW. 



tree is about four inches. It is a native of many 

 parts of Europe, and of North America, and in 

 Great Britain is the last plant furnished with a 

 woody stem, which we meet in ascending the 

 mountains.* In Switzerland," De CandoUe 

 observes, " some species of Willow spread over the 

 uneven surface of the soil ; and as their branches 



* See " Botanical Rambles," page 123, 16mo edition.. 



