172 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Trees with tougli fibrous inner bark, and leaves alternate, 

 horizontally distichous, stalked, roundish, unequally cordate at 

 the base, abruptly acuminate or cuspidate at the apex, serrate, 

 glabrous or pubescent, with tufts of pale or fawn-coloured hairs 

 in the forks of the veins on tlie under side. Flowers white or 

 yellowish, in axillary or terminal cymes, the peduncle of which is 

 adnate for some distance to the large sub-foliaceous bract. Fruit 

 usually downy at first, but often glabrous when ripe. 



The derivation of the name of this genns is somewhat obscure, and we find authors 

 who state it to be unknown ; but others say it is derived from the Greek word tttiXov 

 (ptilon), a feather, aliudiug to the featliery appearance of the bracts and flowers: others 

 derive it from the Greek word riXctt (tilai), light bodies floating in the air, like wool 

 or feathers. 



SPECIES I— TILIA GRANDIFOLIA. Ehrh. 



Plate CCLXXXV. 



T. platyphyllos, Scop. Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VI. Til. Tab. CCCXVII. 



CCCXVIII. Fig. 5139. 

 T. platyphylJa, Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. I. \x 283. 



Young branches and buds downy. Leaves thin, coarsely serrate, 

 downy beneath, especially on the veins. Cymes umbellate, few- 

 flowered. Nectariferous scales none. Fruit woody, pubescent, 

 roundish-obovate, shortly acuminated at the apex, with 3 to 5 

 very prominent ribs when the fruit is mature. 



In woods and hedges. Probably not native, although many 

 botanists consider it to be so, especially about the rivers Wye and 

 Severn. 



England? [Scotland, Ireland]. Tree. Summer. 



A large tree 20 to 50 feet high, with spreading branches and 

 rather smooth dark-olive bark ; young twigs bright olive-brown 

 or sometimes tinged with red. Leaves 2\ to 1 inches across, very 

 unequal at the base, roundish, abruptly acuminate (almost cuspi- 

 date) at the apex, longer than the footstalk. Cymes axillary, 

 developed from the shoots of the year, commonly 3-flowercd. Bracts 

 oblong, adnate to the peduncle for half the length of the latter, 

 but not quite for half the length of the bract, which is piunately 

 veined, strongly reticulated, and greenish-yellow. Stipules con- 

 cave, yellowish, deciduous. Flowers |- inch across, yellowish-white. 

 Sepals downy within, nearly glabrous on the outside, elliptical- 

 lanceolate. Petals oblanceolate, a little longer than the sepals. 

 Stamens longer than the petals. Ovary globose, densely downy. 

 Style about as long as the stamens. Fruit when mature f to ^ inch 

 long, very hard, covered with a felt of down, and having a flat 



