19 



VI. 



CUPULIFER^. 



OUERCINE.€. 



THE SWEET CHESNUT, 



CASTA NEA. 



Of the same family as the oak and the beech, 

 the chesnut is a native of South Europe, North 

 Africa, and the Orient. Kastania, a town in 

 Thessaly, has been referred to as the origin of its 

 name, but it is more probable, as some writers 

 have suggested, that the town derived its name 

 from the tree. The term "sweet chesnut" is 

 applied to the fruit, as distinguished from that 

 of the horse-chesnut, which is bitter. The two 

 trees have no relationship. 



The leaves are long, elliptical, and of a bright 

 shining green. They appear towards the end of 

 May, and are retained till late in the autumn, 

 when they turn a rich orange yellow. The long 

 yellow catkins show themselves about a month 

 after the leaves. The branches spread horizontally 

 and bend downwards so as sometimes to sweep 

 the ground. The girth of the stem is usually 

 large in proportion to the height. In old trees 



