©re i)onn| | laturalist : 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 19. MAHCH Oth, 1880. Vol. 1. 



SALLOW BLOSSOM. 



X MONG the signs of early spring, 

 one of the most noticeable is the 

 appearance of the Catkins of the 

 Willows, and they are one of the most 

 welcome to the young Entomologist. 

 The order balicinece includes both 

 Poplars and AYillows. Our native 

 Poplars arc not very common. The 

 White or Grey Poplar, the Black Pop- 

 lar, and the Aspen being all that are 

 t{ ognised as British. Of Willows 

 there are many more, and an intermin- 

 able number of varieties. The Salicuiecb 

 are what are called diiecious plants, 

 which means that one produces stamens, 

 and another pistils, these being the seed 

 producing organs. The plants with 

 pistils bearing seed after they have 

 been fertilized by pollen from the 

 stamens of another. Most of plants 

 have both these organs in the same 

 flower, some have them on different 

 flowers, but on the same stem, others, 

 as the willows, have the flowers of one 

 tree, producing one organ, and the 

 other organ produced on another tree. 

 This has doubtless led to the innumer- 

 able varieties of the willows, which 

 render their study so difficult, for 



hisects carrying the pollen from one 

 tree to another will, as readily as not, 

 convey it to one of a different species, 

 and thus we have in nature, the very 

 means in active operation, by which 

 gardeners produce many of their new 

 forms. But this tendency of the 

 Willows to make new varieties is not 

 the only reason why their study is 

 difficult. The flowers come before the 

 leaves, and it is necessary that both 

 should be examined, to be properly 

 understood. The Botanist, he ever so 

 experienced, cannot always tell from 

 an examination of one only what the 

 species is, and it is necessary, hot only 

 to have both, but to be quite sure that 

 both are from the same tree. To 

 ensure certainty in this respect the 

 best way is to affix a small label to the 

 tree, bearing a number or other mark, 

 and to attach a similarly marked ticket 

 to the flowering specimen taken. Then 

 you can go back to the tree, take a 

 specimen in leaf or fruit, and by refer- 

 ring to your tickets, know that you 

 have got it correctly. Young Botanists 

 must be on the look out now for speci- 

 mens of Willows in flower, and if they 

 would take this trouble they would soon 



