CUPULIFER^ 173 



CUPULIFER^. 



[Carpinus Betulus, L. A native of the south- 

 eastern counties of England, and perhaps in a few 

 places further north and west, but far more common 

 in England, Scotland, and Wales as a planted 

 tree.] 



€astanea sativa, Mill. Native in woods in the 

 North Temperate Zone. A native of England in pre- 

 historic times (H. N. Ridley, Journal of Botany^ 

 1885, p. 253), but extinct as such now. It is widely 

 planted, and has been cultivated in England for many 

 centuries. It seldom ripens seed, and is nowhere 

 established. 



[Fagus silvatica, L. Julius Csesar's statement that 

 the Beech did not occur in Britain, taken in con- 

 junction with the wide cultivation of the tree, has 

 induced some botanists to reject it as a native. In 

 the southern counties, however, and as far north as 

 Yorkshire, there seems no reason to doubt that the 

 fine Beech woods are truly indigenous. This would 

 not be the only point in the natural history records 

 found in Caesar's writings which has been refuted by 

 later investigation. Such a statement as the one quoted 

 would certainly be received with great hesitation even 

 if made by a competent botanist unless he had a full 

 knowledge of the country. It may be mentioned, more- 

 over, that Beech wood has been recognised in recent 

 geological strata in England, and that the tree is 

 received as a native in the neighbouring parts of the 

 Continent.] 



