134 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



Alder — Ahms glutinosa 

 (Plate XC) 



The Alder, like the Willows, is a water-loving 

 tree, and flourishes best in swampy woods, where 

 it often grows in large thickets. The bark is 

 brownish red, and when old is fissured. The 

 wood is red when fresh, and the freshly gathered 

 leaves feel sticky. They are alternate, and irre- 

 gularly dentated, with prominent veins on the 

 under-surface. The male catkins are long and 

 pendulous. They appear towards the end of 

 autumn, and in spring lengthen, and shed their 

 pollen. The female catkins are oval, and first 

 appear as green and then as blackish tassels. The 

 seeds are not winged, and ripen late in autumn. 



The Beech {Fagus sylvaticd) is a large tree 

 with smooth bark and slightly serrated leaves. 

 It bears small triangular nuts, which are called 

 beech-mast, and which are sometimes used for 

 feeding pigs. Readers of " Uncle Tom's Cabin " 

 will remember the clever negro who pushed a 

 beech-nut under the saddle of Haley's horse to 



cause a stampede, and thus to delay the pursuit 

 of Eliza. 



The Sweet Chestnut (Casta?iea sativa), so abun- 

 dant in Southern Europe, is met with in some 

 parts of England ; but whether truly indigenous or 

 naturalised has been much disputed by botanists. 

 The sweet nuts, white, with a tough brown skin, 

 enclosed on the trees two or three together in 

 a green bristly case, are to be bought in any shop, 

 being largely imported. The branches are spread- 

 ing, and, like those of the oak, sweep on the ground 

 round large trees, if not trimmed. The long spikes 

 of greenish-white flowers have an extremely sweet 

 and sickly odour. 



The so-called Spanish Chestnut, which is not a 

 British tree, is so frequently planted that it is much 

 more often seen in England than the Sweet Chest- 

 nut. It is allied to the Maple. (Compare p. 46.) 



The Oak (Quercus robur), of which there are 

 several varieties, is easily recognised by its rugged 

 bark, irregular branches, deeply-cleft leaves, and 

 the peculiar round or oval fruit, called an acorn. 

 An acorn is surrounded by a tough green skin, 



