COMMON TREES 197 



tapering shoots, pointing upwards, outwards or down- 

 wards, according to the part of the tree from which they 

 spring. Foliage in sheets (connect this with the arrange- 

 ment of the buds). Leaves thin, shiny, ovate, the veins 

 parallel on either side, but set at an angle with the midrib ; 

 margin entire ; often remaining on the boughs after 

 withering, especially in young trees. Buds long and 

 pointed, covered with shining brown scales, and set alter- 

 nately to right and left of the shoot, at angles of about 45. 

 Old bark smooth, dark-grey. 



Oak (Family of Cupule-bearers). Crown broad and com- 

 pact, on a short thick stem, if growing in the open ; 

 branches stout and crooked, often bending at sharp angles ; 

 the chief branches of the crown almost horizontal, the 

 leafy twigs often ascending, furrowed, and slightly but- 

 tressed beneath the buds ; foliage scattered, in small 

 bunches, standing out from the twig on all sides ; leaves 

 widening towards the tip, with sinuous margin, often 

 remaining on the boughs after withering, especially in 

 young trees ; buds blunt and short, reddish, set spirally 

 on the twig, often crowded at the tip, the scales numerous 

 and crowded ; old bark rough and fissured. 



Common Elm (Nettle family). A tall tree, with erect 

 stem, often branching little till near the top, where it 

 sends out a close leafy crown with many upright branches ; 

 trees with big side - branches, however, are not rare. 

 Crowded small branches are often given off from the main 

 trunk and the larger branches, or sent up from the roots. 

 The flowers appear in spring before the leaves ; the winged 

 fruits are conspicuous in June. The common elm seldom 

 ripens seed in England, most frequently in the south- 

 eastern counties, and there not every year. The twigs 

 soon become fissured by expansion. Towards the extremity 

 of a young twig many fine siliceous hairs clothe the bark. 



Witch Elm (Nettle family). Differs from the common 

 elm in the trunk, which branches much lower down and 

 more freely, in the larger leaves, and in the fruit, which 



