Europe, of which very few indeed appear to have germinated. 
Our solitary plant was reared from a seed gathered by Burke: 
and, although now only about five feet high, it has for several 
years produced spikes of flowers, and these, in one instance, were 
succeeded the following year (1856) by several fruits of the size 
here represented, but which fell off before they were mature. 
The tree bears our severest winters perfectly unharmed. 
Descr. This is said by Douglas to form a beautiful tree in its 
native country, varying in height from twenty to seventy feet. 
We make our description from our own small plant above men- 
tioned, which is branched almost to the base, the young dranches 
tawny or golden-colour. eaves, the smallest of the Chestnut- 
kind, two and a half to three inches long, shortly petiolate, ovato- 
oblong, acuminate, coriaceous, entire, glabrous, very dark green 
and somewhat glossy above ; beneath clothed with dense, minute, 
farinaceous scales of a golden-yellow colour. Spikes of flowers 
from the axils of the upper or terminal leaves, as long as, or 
shorter than, the leaves, on short peduncles. Male flowers occu- 
pying the upper half, numerous, crowded ; female flowers one to 
three or five, distant, scattered at the base, all sessile. MALE 
FLOWERS :—Perianth cup-shaped, small, villous, six-cleft, three 
lobes external; three inner less villous than the outer ones. 
Stamens ten to twelve or thirteen: /i/aments long, flexuous, 
much longer than the perianth, FrmMaLE FLOWERS, accom- 
panied by some imperfect stamens. Perianth as in the male. 
Ovary having its base incorporated with the perianth, very 
hispid, dividing above into three glabrous sfy/es. These ova- 
ries remained the whole winter on the plant; and during the 
following summer became a three-lobed /rwit of the size repre- 
sented at fig. 5, and then fell off immature before the autumn. 
It is three-lobed, and very prickly, as in Castanea vesca. 
Fig. 1. Female flower. 2. Pistil removed from the perianth. 3. Male flower. 
4. Stamen and inner lobe of the perianth :—magnified. 5. Immature fruit :— 
nat. size. 6. Scale, and portion of another scale, constituting the golden fari- 
naceous substance on the under side of the leaves :—magnified. 
