Tree Study 



813 



Describe the calyx. If there are any flower buds just opening, observe and 

 describe the way the petals are folded within them. 



7. How many stamens? With a lens observe the way the two little 

 doors to the anther fly open ; how is the pollen thrown out ? What is the 

 shape of the pistil? How many stigmas? 



8. Does each individual flower have a stem or is there a common stem 

 for a cluster of blossoms ? Do the flowers grow at the tips or along the sides 

 of the twigs? When do the witch-hazel flowers appear and how long do 

 they last ? 



9. Make a drawing of a witch-hazel nut before it opens. What is the 

 color of the outer husk when ripe ? Cut into a closed nut and observe the 

 extreme hardness and strength of the inner shell. 



10. Where are the seeds situated? Can you see that the shell, when 

 partially open, ready to throw out the seeds resembles a queer littb face? 

 Describe the color and marking of the seeds; are they rough or smooth? 

 How far have you known the witch-hazel to throw its seeds? Study the 

 nut and try to discover how it throws the seeds so far. 



References Tree Book, Rogers; Our Northern Shrubs, Keeler; Familiar 

 Trees and Their Leaves, Mathews; Field, Forest and Wayside Botany, 

 Grav. 



THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL 



Teacher's Story 



S a child I never doubted that the laurel wreaths 

 of Grecian heroes were ir.ade from mountain 

 laurel, and I supposed, of course, that the 

 flowers were used also. My vision was of a hero 

 crowned with huge wreaths of laurel bouquets, 

 which I thotight so beautiful. It was a shock to 

 exchange this sumptuous headgear of my 

 dreams for a plain wreath of leaves from the 

 green-bay tree. 



However, the mountain laurel leaf is ever- 

 green and beautiful enough to crown a victor; 

 in color it is a rich, lustrous green above, with a 



yellow midrib, the lower side being of a much lighter color. In 

 shape, the leaf is long, narrow, pointed at each end and smooth-edged, 

 with a rather short petiole, The leaves each year grow on the new 

 wood, which is greenish and rough, in contrast with the old wood, 

 which is rich brownish red. The leaves are arranged below the flower 

 cluster, so that they make a shining green base for this natural bouquet. 



The flowers grow on the tips of the branching twigs, which are huddled 

 together in a manner that brings into a mass many flowers. I have counted 

 seventy-five of them in a single bunch; the youngest flowers grow nearest 

 the tip of the twig. The blossom stems are pink, and afford a rich back- 

 ground for the starry open flowers and knobby closed buds The bud of 

 the laurel blossom is very pretty and resembles a bit of rose-colored pottery ; 

 it has a five-sided, pyramidal top, and at the base of the pyramid are ten 

 ittle buttresses which flare out from the calyx. The calyx is five-lobed, 

 each lobe being green at the base and pink at the point. Each one of the 



