Winter Buds and Tree Forms 



Fig. 21. Horse-chestnut 

 twig, showing leaf scars. 



in it (Fig. 21). These nail marks 

 are the ends of the fibres that 

 passed from the twig carrying- 

 food into the leaf. Other trees 

 that show well-marked leaf scars 

 are the ash, oak, and plane. In 

 each case the shape is different, 

 but they all show the fibre ends 

 arranged in a definite shape on 

 the scar. Anyone who has studied 

 trees can say in a minute from 

 what kind of tree any twig comes 

 by just looking at the leaf scars 

 and buds. You yourselves will 

 get a great deal of interest out 

 of your winter walks by noticing 

 how the buds vary in size and 

 shape and you will soon recognise 

 when you see them the round black 

 buds of the ash, the pointed beech 

 buds, and a number of others. 



If you look for the buds on a 

 plane tree before the leaves drop 

 off you will not be able to find 

 them anywhere. This is because 

 the swollen base of the leaf is 

 drawn out over the bud into a 

 sheath which hides and shelters 

 it completely. When the leaf is 

 pulled off the bud is found under- 

 neath. The leaf scar right round 

 the bud shows you where the leaf 

 once grew (Fig. 22). 



