90 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



small magnolias, and of the cucumber and 

 heart-leaved cucumber-tree, are green: the 

 others are of a lovely rose colour. The seeds 

 are bright red." 



"And how large are the cones, Uncle 

 Philip ?" 



" Of different sizes ; the cone of the large 

 magnolia is about four inches long, while that 

 of the white bay is seldom more than an inch, 

 or an inch and a half." 



" Uncle Philip, why are the cucumber-trees 

 and umbrella-trees called so ? what has giv^n 

 them their names ?" 



" If you were to see the cones of the cu- 

 cumber-trees, you would know in a moment ; 

 they are shaped exactly like young cucum- 

 bers. The umbrella-trees have their name 

 from the great size of the leaves, and the 

 curious manner in which they grow. They 

 are often seen eighteen or twenty inches long, 

 and seven or eight wide ; and a number of 

 them are frequently found growing at the end 

 of a shoot or stalk, and all standing out dif- 

 ferent ways, like the spokes of a wheel, so 

 that they display a very large surface ; almost 

 as large as an umbrella. The leaves of the 

 iarofe-leaved umbrella-tree are still more enor- 



