T h e W illow s are a tribe o f plants, n o t lefs d iftin guilhed fo r the ir g re a t u t ility irnrural (e conomy than f„,
the difficu lty w h ich has h ithe r to a ttend ed th e afc er tam tng o f the fe v e ra l fp ec ie s : it w ill, perhaps, be found,
that this d ifficu lty is n o t p ec u lia r to the W illow s , b u t that a v a i l m any o th e r plants are lu b je t l to an equal
n co n ltan cy o f ap p ea ran c e from fimila r caufes : w e are n o t to b e d ilh e ar tened m o u r rele arch e s, beeaufe «
m e e t w ith d ifficultie s, th e y o u g h t ra the r to incite us to a mo re d ilig en t e x am in a tion , and i f we do not fiiccced
" , one time w e p ro b a b ly (hall a t a n d th e r ; w e h a v e fo u n d , b y e x p e r ien c e , that the e y e does n o t at all times
poffiefs the fame d e g r e e o f acutene fs, and that the c h a r a a e r o f a p lan t , w h ich , a t o ne p e r io d , has been over,
lo o k e d , a t an o th e r, has fo rmed its molt- p rominen t fe atu re .
Tmnrelfed with thefe ideas, w e fe t ab o u t in v e ft ig a t in g the W illow s , w ith the g re a te r plea fu re indeed as we
find on e x am in in g them, th a t the parts o f fa l s i f i c a t io n , h ithe r to b u t little n o t ic ed , are c a pa b le o f throwing
a (meat lig h t on the r u b ie s : the {lamina in fom e, an d the p ift illa in o thers, differ in th e ir appea rance beyond
e x p e S a t io n . T h u s the ma le p lan t o f the p re fent fp ec ie s, i f e v e r y o the r c h a r a S e r w e re w an ting , would be
d X g u i f f i e d w h en in flow e r from o u r o the r W illow s , b y its llam in a alon e ; e a ch fc a le o f th e catkin produces
o n e filament o n l y ; h en c e , a c co rd in g to L in n e an u fa g e , i t is c a lled m o n an d ro u s : bu t, it is v e r y remarkable,
that th o u g h there is o n ly on e filament, i t fu p po rts tw o anthenn, and h en c e , in f in S p ro p r ie ty , it maybe
confide,-ea as diandrous. T h e a n th e r * , b e fo re th e y o p en, are o f a b r ig h t o ran g e c o lo u r , and impart to the
ca tk in an a p p e a ra n c e ft rik in g ly b e a u t i fu l ; th e female catk ins are fim ila r ,n lh a p e , b u t w an t the brilliancy of
the ma le.
U n fo r tu n a te lv the flow e rin g p er io d in the W illo w s is o f ffio rt d u r a t io n ; d u r in g the g r c a te fl part of the
Tummer w e h a v e n o flowers to affift us in o u r in v e ft ,g a llo n s , and e v e n d u r in g that p er iod , it frequently
hap pens e fp e c ia lly in the cu lt iv a ted W illo w s , w h ich are -fin ally raifed from cu tting s , that w e can difcover
o n ? fe x o n ly ■ it is n o t fo , in deed, in tho fe W illo w s w h ich are mo re m a ftate o f na tu re , ye t , when the I
to w e r in g 1 o v e r , fiz e , mo d e o f g row th , le a v e s , ft ip u te , o r fome o the r-pa rt o f the p lant, w ill g en erally afford I
a g o o d fp e c ific ch a r a S e r .
T h e p re fen t 'fp e c ie s , w h en o u t o f b lo om , is p a r ticu la r ly d iftin gu ilhed b y the_ le n g th , as w e ll as delicate
flendeme fs o f it? tw ig s, and its fu b g la u cou s fp u rg e - lik e le a v e s , b u t, ab o v e a ll, b y the ir e x trem e bltternefil
w h en ch ew ed , i t is fo r this rea fon w e h a v e c a lled i t the bitter W illo w .
T h e fe fe v e ra l ch a r a S e r s , w h ich are n o t lia b le to v a r y , an d fome o f w h ich are a lw a ys pre fent, w ill, if in the I
Ieaft d e g r e e attended to , re a d ily difc riminate this fp ec ie s. T h e le a v es o f m o ll o f the W illo w s are unfortunately I
fu b ie S to a g r e a t d iv e r fity o f ap p ea ran c e from a v a r ie ty o f c a u fe s ; thofe o f the mo nand ra are b y no means I
e x em p t fromSth is in c o n lla n e y o f a p p e a r a n c e ; th e y v a r y g r e a tly , b o th in fiz e and breadth and ft,11 more m l
ffie nmch ffig s o f the le a v e s (tee the d e fc r ip tio n ) the ftalks alfo v a r y g r e a tly m co lo u r , b e in g fomet.mes a molll
y e llow the® e av es o n the fummits o f the tw ig s' are fometimes fo u n d towards the end o f A u g u f t o f a bull,ant I
rod co lo u r w h ich p ro d u ce s a m o ll ch a rm in g e f f e S ; this fingu a n ty is , h ow e v e r confined to particular plan s:
th e tdps^of the branch e s are fometimes fo u n d e x p an d ed in this W illo w in to lit t le fquamous heads, fomewha
refem b lin g rofes, w h en c e , b y fo ipe , i t fias b e en c a lled rofe W i l lo w ; this is the e i f e a o f an infect, Av.i, : i j
co u r fe , accidejitaJ.
T h e / a lix monandra g row s fp a r in g ly in the ne igh b o u rh o o d o f L o n d o n , i t is; foundi m o l commonlj; in
h ed v e s fometimes in ofier-g ro u nd s, w h e re it, is a c c id en ta lly in tro d u c ed ; in fom e parts o t the Morin ot
S a n d tto ro T s n o W illo w mo re c om m o n ; it is the e ar lie ft in b lo om o f a n y o f th e W illow s w e are acquainted
w ith , flow e rin g in mild feafons, b y the end o f F e b ru a ry , u fu a lly b e fo re the Caprea.
The extreme bitternefs of the leaves and twigs of this fpecies, renders it Very valuable for many purpofa
When ufed as a band or withe, it is never eaten by vermin; nor, when formed into a hedge, is D H B
on bv cattle • even infeBs prey on it much lefs readily than on the other fpecies. In fome parts of Yorklhirc,
twigs a r e ’ufed for making the fineft forts of balket-work ; and, from the obfervations we have made,
ftouTd took it might be advantageoufly cultivated for fuch purpofes. By way of experiment, we one
, m w n F cutting s o f a ll the com m o n W illow s , and w e re fu rp n fed to fin d , that the v e r y Mgeft onej
y e a r ’s flio o t w as that die b it te r W illo w , it e x c e e d ed e v e n that o f the O f ie r (Salt* vimnalts) which was thj
jie x t long e ft.
T h e b a rk o f fome o f the W illow s has b een u fed as a fub ftitute fo r the P eru v ian B a rk in the cure, flf agues!
th a t o f the p re fen t fp ec ie s, from its e x t rem e b itternefs, m a y p ro b a b ly p ro v e m o re e ffica cious.
T h e le a v e s o f this p lan t b ecome o f a blu eiffi b la c k co lo u r in d rying .
P ro feffo r H o f f m a n , w h o has pub liffied fom e -v e r y ac cu ra te figures an d descriptions o f the W illow s indd-
™,fnblv m o v e ? th a t the iurfiurea and helix o f L in n .-e u s are one and the fame fp e c ie s ; h e, thereW
co n fid e rm g ttm m as fu ch , ro ie fis b o th tho fe name s, and adopts that o f A r d o . n ,.;■ - co n cu r r in g from the molt
p e r fe f l c o n v ia io n , in o p in ion w ith th e le m e d Pro feffo r, w e fo llow him in this lnftanc ? o f refo rm,