194 AMENTACE^— CATKIN-BEARING TRIBE 



larity of its leaves, which, however, are smoother, and have transverse hairy 

 ril)s, and which are, in the early stage, very prettily folded into plaits. The 

 Hornbeam may be occasionally seen fifty feet high ; but it is usually a small 

 and not a very ornamental tree. The trunk is slender, somewhat flattened, 

 straight, and but little roughened, and the flowers appear among the foliage 

 in May. The barren catkins are of a pale yellowish-green, lax and scaly, 

 two or three inches long ; and those which are fertile are much smaller, and 

 are succeeded in due season by small angular nuts, each seated within a leafy 

 cup. No other British catkins are like these ; so that this tree is, during its 

 flowering season, readily distinguished by them. 



The Hornbeam was formerly sometimes called Horse-Beech ; and it was 

 once much in use for alcoves, labyrinths, and hedges, as it bears cutting 

 exceedingly well. Indeed, the great excellency of the tree appears to be in 

 its adaptation for hedges. Evelyn praises it with scarcely less enthusiasm 

 than that with which he refers to his favourite holly-hedge ; and says of the 

 Hornbeam that it makes the " noblest and stateliest hedges for long walks 

 in gardens and parks of any hedge whatsoever." The plant is much used in 

 France for this purpose, and the hedges, called Charmilks, are greatly valued. 

 On some spots of our own land, we might yet say with the poet : — 



" Here Hornbeam hedges regularly grow ; 

 Here hawthorn wliiteus and wild roses blow." 



But the two latter plants are far more commonly to be seen in our hedgerows 

 than the former. 



The Hornbeam retains its leaves in winter. Its wood is white, tough, . 

 and close-grained, but will not take a good polish. It is adapted, however, 

 especially when young, for many country uses, and is of service to the 

 carpenter and wheelwright, and the very best of wood for fuel. A twig will 

 burn like a candle, and continue burning for a long time ; and in France the 

 wood is much liked for the steady bright light which it difliises in the apart- 

 ment. Its charcoal is excellent ; and the French use the dried foliage for 

 fodder. The tree is called in French Le Cltarme ; the Germans call it Die 

 Hagebuclie. Its catkins are said to be sometimes fraudulently mingled with 

 hops. 



Order LXXXI. CONIFERiE— FIR TRIBE. 



Stamens and pistils on separate flowers, and, in some cases, on different 

 trees ; stamens arranged in sets around a common stalk ; fertile flowers 

 usually in cones, sometimes solitary, destitute of styles or stigmas; fruit 

 either a seed seated in a fleshy covering, or a cone composed of hardened 

 scales or bracts, bearing at the base of each naked seeds, which are often 

 winged ; leaves rigid. 



1. Fir (Pinus). — Barren flowers in clustered spirally-arranged scaly cat- 

 kins, the upper scales bearing sessile anthers ; fertile flowers in an egg-shaped 

 catkin, which finally becomes a woody cone ; seeds winged. Name, the 

 Latin name of the tree. 



