213 



the tree its common name, "slippery elm." Its leaves 

 are very rough, on the uppersides, and by this you 

 may easily know them. The leaves are large, four to 

 eight inches long and about four inches vide. They 

 are ovate-oblong, in shape, but come down to a taper- 

 ing point. They are set alternately along the branch, 

 and are noticeably doubly serrate. The most conspic- 

 uous feature of the leaves are their extreme roughness 

 on the uppersides. Rub them either way, and you will 

 feel a harshness of touch which will put your teeth 

 on edge. On the undersides the leaves are soft and 

 wooly, when young, but as the leaf grows older become 

 roughish on this side also. The slippery elm flowers 

 early in spring, before the leaves appear. These closely 

 clustered purplish blossoms break out in little bunches 

 along the branches, very much like the inflorescence 

 (bloom) of the English and the Scotch elms. The 

 fruit of the tree is a winged seed (samara), the flat 

 wing enclosing the seed like a wafer. Over the seed 

 there is a marked pubescence or hairy growth, but the 

 wing is without pubescence. The seed of the Amer- 

 ican elm is very hairy on the margin of the wing. 



Vaccinium corymbosum. (High - bush Blueberry. 

 Swamp Blueberry. No. 41.) Near the little Shelter 

 or Summer House in the middle of the southern part 

 of the Ramble, you will find a good specimen of this 

 shrub. It is all through the Ramble, but you can see 

 a good bush of it here, for close study. If you take 

 the little path that leads out northerly from this Sum- 

 mer House, passing the fine Catesby's Andromeda and 

 Azalea amcena, on your right, then, as you come out 



