The Flowering of the Forest Trees 83 



one. "Yet the vestiges of the seeds which have 

 not matured," says Prof. Gray, " and of the want- 

 ing cells of the pod, may always be detected in 



a 



Very young horse-chestnut bur cut crosswise (a) and lengthwise (), showing that 

 it is at this stage a three-chambered pod enclosing six seeds. 



Very young acorn cut crosswise (c), showing its three chambers and six ovules. 

 Older acorn cut crosswise (</), showing that two of the original six ovules have 

 vanished and that a third is dwindling. 



Fig. 14. Young horse-chestnut bur and young acorhs. 



the ripe pod." The very young acorn is divided 

 into three compartments, and each compartment 

 has two ovules hanging from its summit. One 

 might, therefore, expect the mature acorn to be a 



