an inch long, on short stalks, with a few small lanceolate
floral-leaves. Calyx-scales usually rather acute in the
lower, and rounded in the upper part of the catkin, flattish,
fringed with long silky hairs from the back, upper half
black. Nectary a pale yellow, truncate, interior gland.
Germen and its stalk, which is about half as long as the
calyx-scale, densely silky; its base slightly rounded, its
apex tapering to a naked style, hardly longer than the short,
narrow, spreading stigmas, which are usually divided in an
early stage of the flowering to their base. The flowers
appear when the leaves begin to expand, about the end of
April.
Our female specimens were taken from a plant from
Scotland, communicated by Mr. George Anderson as S.
tetrapla of Walker, and referred to S. phylicifolia of Will-
denow by Professor Mertens, who gave the same name to a
Swiss specimen sent by Mr. Davall to Sir J . E. Smith, which
Sir James also regarded as the same species, although “ the
germens, and indeed all parts of the catkins are much less
silky.” It is very probable that both Walker* and Will-
denow included various things under their respective species
; but we adopt with confidence the Smithian name,
since Smith’s British specimens were taken from the same
individual plant as ours. We have specimens which seem
the same from Teesdale. We are not acquainted with the
male plant, but we have added the flowers of what Mr. Anderson
regarded as such, from a sketch made from one of his
specimens in 1811.
S.radicans (S. phylicifolia of Engl. Bot. t., 1958.) differs
from the present supposed species by its procumbent lower
branches, longer, more oblong, and less acuminate leaves,
with a whiter underside, more conspicuous and often undulate
serratures, and more considerable stipules. Its young
shoots too are nearly or quite without pubescence, and its
catkins longer, with scales longer in proportion to their
width, and stigmas less generally divided. It flowers a full
fortnight later than S. Damlliana.—W. B.
* We know of no description of S. tetrapla by Dr. Walker. It is merely
mentioned in a posthumous volume of Essays, p. 408, as remarkable for
having “ the spiral upon the branch’’ completed by four leaves.