SPRING-FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 77 



branches, and downy shoots. The leaves are nearly round, with a 

 sharp point and a serrate margin. When young they are downy 

 above and beneath, but become smooth later. The catkins are 

 very dense, and the flowers of the female tree have two divided 

 stigmas. 



The Black Poplar (P. nigra) and the Lombardy Poplar 

 (P. fastigiata), though very common, are not natives of this country. 

 The former is a large, spreading tree, and the latter is readily dis- 

 tinguished by its tall, pyramidal form, with all its branches directed 

 upward. Although these two trees are so very unUke in general 

 appearance, yet they resemble one another so closely in the form 

 of the leaves and the character of the flowers that they are some- 

 times regarded as two varieties of the same species. In both the 

 leaves are very variable in form, being either triangular, rhombic, 

 or nearly circular, with rbunded teeth. Both have smooth shoots, 

 and sticky buds ; and their catkins are not so dense as in the other 

 members of the genus. The leaves also are smooth on both surfaces 

 except when young, at which stage they are shghtly downy beneath. 

 The male catkins are two or three inches long, of a deep red 

 colour ; and, since they appear before the leaves, are very con- 

 spicuous. The female catkins are much shorter and erect, and the 

 ripe capsular fruits burst in June, setting free seeds which are 

 covered with a cottony down. P. nigra has a furrowed grey bark, 

 rendered still more irregular by prominent swelhngs, and it rarely 

 produces suckers. P. fastigiata, on the other hand, often produces 

 numerous suckers, and its trunk generally has a rough, furrowed, 

 and twisted appearance. It is interesting to note that the female 

 of the latter does not occur in our country. The tree was introduced 

 by means of suckers, and it appears certain that suckers of the male 

 tree only were brought over for this purpose. 



We conclude this chapter by a brief description of the two 

 native conifers of our woods — the Scotch Fir or Scots Pine {Pinus 

 sylvestris) and the Yew [Taxus haccata). The former is very well 

 known, for while its real home is the elevated parts of the North, 

 it has been planted more or less in most southern districts ; and it is 

 readily distinguished from other forest trees by its general form, 

 as well as by the nature of its leaves, and by its ' cones.' It should 

 be noted, however, that several similar species, which may be 

 confused with the Scots Pine, have been introduced into our country, 

 but descriptions of these can hardly be included here. 



The bark of the Scots Pine is rough, of a reddish-brown colour, 



