CHAP. CV. CORYLA‘CEX. CASTA‘NEA. 1985 
the British oak; and it differs essentially from that tree, in its timber not in- 
creasing in value as it increases in age. The trunk, in deep free soils, and in 
situations sheltered rather than exposed, rises erect, and forms a massive 
column of wood; but, in unsuitable soils, and in elevated exposed situations, 
and in cold climates, it ramifies at the height of 10 ft. or 12 ft., and the tree 
assumes the character of a large pollard. In all cases, the diameter of the 
trunk is very large, in proportion to the diameter of the head, or the height of 
the tree. The branches form nearly the same angle with the trunk as those 
of the oak ; though in thriving trees the angle is somewhat more acute. They 
spread widely, and are round, and smooth when young. The bark is remarkable 
for its deep wide clefts, which, Sir J. E. Smith says, “ seem to have furnished 
ideas for some ornaments in Gothic architecture ;” alluding, we suppose, to 
some kinds of tracery in the upper parts of windows in the florid Gothic style. 
The leaves on old trees are from 4 in. to Gin. long; but on young and vigo- 
rous shoots they are often nearly 1 ft. in length, and from 3 in, to 4in. in 
breadth. In France, the leaves of the chataigniers are narrower than those 
of the marroniers, and those of both are narrower than the leaves of wild 
and cultivated chestnuts in England; which difference may be observed in 
the two climates to be the case more or less with all broad-leaved trees. 
The leaves are elliptic-lanceolate, acute, smooth, with many transverse veins, 
terminating in sharp serratures; often, but not always, terminating in 
mucros. They are of a rich shining green above; and paler, and some- 
times rather glaucous, beneath. The barren catkins are numerous, axillary, 
solitary, yellow, and pendulous; almost as long as the leaves, and decidu- 
ous. The flowers are produced on the wood of the current year, and are 
ranged along the common stalk, in lateral sessile tufts. The stamens are 
numerous and spreading. The fertile flowers are much fewer than the barren 
ones: they are placed on terminal stalks, which are lengthened out as the 
fruit advances. The styles are about 6, with long, smooth, upright stigmas. 
Geertner detected about 12 scarlet rudiments of stamens among the wool at 
the base of the styles. Nuts large, broadly ovate, generally 2; flat on the 
inner side, and each attached by a broad scar to the bottom of the greatly 
eniarged outer calyx, the outside of which is copiously armed with complicated 
clusters of sharp prickles. (Smith.) The root descends perpendicularly, like 
that of the oak, but not, as it is alleged, to quite so great a depth. The rate 
of growth of young trees, in the neighbourhood of London, averages from 2 ft. 
to 3ft. a year for the first 10 or 12 years. The tree will attain the height of 
from 60 ft. to 80 ft. in from 50 to 60 years; before which period its timber is 
generally in the highest degree of perfection ; but the tree will live for several 
centuries afterwards, and produce abundance of fruit ; its timber, in the mean 
while, beginning to decay at the heart, or become brittle, and fit only for fuel. 
In Germany, according to Willdenow, the height is from 20 ft. to 30 ft., and 
the duration of the tree from 50 to 100 years. In America, according to 
Michaux, the chestnut, in favourable situations, commonly attains the height 
of 70 ft. or 80 ft., with a circumference of 15 ft. or 16 ft. The oldest chestnut 
in England is that at Tortworth, supposed to have been planted before the 
Conquest ; and the largest which we have ever heard of is a tree in Studley 
Park, of which fig. 1923. is a portrait, to the scale of lin. to 30 ft.; and 
which is 112 ft. high; the diameter of the trunk, at 1 ft. from the ground, 7 ft. 
44 in., and of the head 91 ft. 6in. By far the handsomest tree of this species 
in the neighbourhood of London, is that at Muswell Hill, figured in our last 
Volume, which is 66 ft. high, with a trunk 6 ft. in diameter at a foot from the 
ground, and the diameter of the head nearly 70 ft. This tree has been planted 
between 70 and 80 years. No tree stoles more freely than the sweet chest- 
nut, at whatever age it may be cut over. 
Geography. - The sweet chestnut is found in the east and west of Asia, 
in the north of Africa, and in North America. In the Old World its coun- 
tries are more particularly Asia Minor, Armenia, and Caucasus; but it is 
also found in the Canaries, and in Teneriffe. It does not grow sponta- 
neously to the north of Tereck, in the Russian empire; and it does not ripen 
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