COMMON TREES 199 



the wings of the double fruit in the same straight line, 

 and the bark rough. 



Sycamore-maple, hedge-maple, horse-chestnut and ash 

 are the only common trees with opposite leaves. Horse- 

 chestnut and ash have completely divided leaves, and may 

 be at once distinguished by this mark from the other two. 



Lime (Lime family). A tall, freely branching tree. 

 The flowers, which appear in June or July, are scented 

 and abound in honey ; they are furnished with a long 

 bract, which facilitates dispersal of the fruit by wind. 

 Foliage dense, in sheets (connect this with the arrange- 

 ment of the buds) ; leaves heart-shaped, with drawn-out 

 tips, often unequal-sided, the margin finely serrate ; 

 buds two - ranked, alternate, somewhat pointed ; old 

 bark remaining smooth for a long time and showing 

 the lenticels. 



SOME COMMON CONIFEROUS TREES. 



Coniferous trees are nearly all evergreen, and have their 

 seeds concealed in scaly cones. Each scale usually con- 

 sists of two i arts, a fertile scale, in contact with the 

 seeds, and just beneath this a cover-scale. One of the 

 two parts may be wanting or small, or both may be well- 

 developed and appear on the surface of the cone. Besides 

 the ordinary branches, which lengthen indefinitely, small 

 spurs may be formed, which remain very short and bear 

 a small number of leaves. 



The Scotch Fir has needle-shaped leaves, which spring 

 in pairs from the leaf-spurs. The cover-scales are very 

 small, and do not reach the surface of the cone ; the 

 fertile scales are thickened at their free ends. The cone 

 does not ripen till after the second year. 



The Silver Fir takes its name from the silver-grey colour 

 of the old bark. No leaf-spurs are formed ; the leaves are 

 flattened, and though really springing from all sides of the 

 branch, become twisted into a horizontal double comb. 

 The cones stand upright on the branches, and show the 



