200 OF THE AMENTUM. 



3. Amentum, f. 146. Catkin, denominated by authors 

 before Linnaeus ytt/w^, nucamentum^ or catulus ; con- 

 sists of a common receptacle of a cylindrical form be- 

 set with numerous scales, each of which is accompa- 

 nied by one or more stamens or pistils, so that the 

 whole forms an aggregate flower. (99) The recepta- 

 cle itself and the bases of the scales are firmly united, 

 and the whole catkin falls off entire, except that in 

 some instances the upper part of each scale withers 

 away, as in the Willow genus, Salix, Engl. Bot. t. 

 1388—90, 1402— 4, &c., the seed-vessels in that 

 genus being quite distinct from the scales. In others, 

 the whole scale remains, enlarges, hardens, and pro- 

 tects the seed, as in Pinus, the Fir tribe. Such is the 

 case with catkins of fertile flowers, which are necessa- 

 rily permanent till the seed is ripe ; barren ones fall 

 as soon as the stamens have performed their office. 

 Every catkin consists generally of either one kind of 

 flower or the other. There are few certain and inva- 

 riable instances of stamens and pistils in the same cat- 

 kin, that circumstance occurring chiefly in a few spe 

 cies of Salix and Carex ; nor is Ti/pha, t. 1455 — 7, 

 an exception to this. Examples of barren-flowered 

 catkins are seen, not only in Salix and Pimis, but in 

 several plants whose fertile or fruit-bearing flowers 

 are not catkins, such as the Walnut, and, unless I am 

 much mistaken, the Hasel-nut, t. 723. Each nut or 

 seed of the latter has a permanent coriaceous calyx of 



(99) [The jiment or Catkin is the most common inflorescence 

 of our Forest trees ; as the Oak, Walnut, Chesnut, Birch, Alder, 

 Sec] 



