104 Native Trees of Canada 



The winter buds are light brown, downy, narrow, long, slightly curved and 

 flattened, and more or less stalked. 



The leaves are 4 to 6 in. long and oval in outline. The margin is very wavy- 

 toothed and the base is unsymmetrical. The veining is depressed, giving the sur- 

 face a corrugated app)earance. 



The witch hazel has a curious habit of flowering in the late autumn when its 

 leaves are falling. The flowers come out in small golden-yellow clusters, which 

 have the appearance of a tangled mass. The individual flower with its four, long, 

 yellow, twisted petals is small and spidery-like. 



The fruit is a peculiar brown, woody, two-celled pod, or capsule, about the size 

 of a large pea which, when it ripens in October, splits open in four directions and 

 expels its two black seeds to some distance. These dried pods remain on the twigs 

 throughout the winter, and, along with the flowers, are features which enable the 

 witch hazel to be distinguished from any other tree with which it is likely to be 

 confused. 



The wood is not used commercially but the bark, twigs, and leaves are as- 

 tringent, and when distilled with alcohol yield the extract of witch hazel of com- 

 merce. 



THE SYCAMORES 



Six species of sycamore (Platanus) are recognized. They are distributed 

 throughout North America, in Asia Minor and southwestern Asia. Of three native 

 to North America one occurs in southern Ontario. All the species are so remark- 

 ably alike that they are difficult to separate. 



The wood is not of very great importance, but it is used to a certain extent 

 for cabinet-work and interior finish because of its characteristic marking. One 

 species {Platanus orientalis) is a common street tree in Europe. 



PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS, Linn. SYCAMORE 



Common names: Sycamore, buttonball, buttonwood, plane tree. 

 French names: Platane, sycomore. 



Under favourable conditions the sycamore sometimes reaches a diameter of 

 7 or 8 ft., but the average is not more than 2\i to 3 ft. The height is about 100 ft. 



The trunk is usually short and irregular. A cross-section of it would be 

 eccentric. The crown is large and very wide-spreading when growing in the open. 

 The limbs are very thick and irregular in the way they branch and grow out from 

 the tnmk. The roots are shallow and wide-spreading. 



The bark of this tree is very characteristic and enables one to distinguish it 

 from any other native tree. On the trunk it breaks off in thin, brittle, irregular 

 plates. Higher up it is smooth, an olive-green colour, and covered with white 

 blotches. 



The twigs are smooth and shiny and have a more or less zigzag growth. The 

 winter buds are smooth, brown, and conical in shape and are surrounded by the 



