266 THE STUDY OF TREES. 



the fruit. Fruit a nut. Leaves thin, tender, rounded 

 with pointed tip, serrate, unequal sided. Bark smooth, 

 dark in colour. 



PUPIL'S DESCRIPTION OF A HAWTHORN TREE. 



I examined a woody shrub or tree which I pass on my 

 way to school. It is about fifteen feet in height; the 

 trunk is about ten inches in diameter at the base. Its 

 bark is scaly and of a reddish grey colour. Branches 

 arise apparently in an irregular manner from quite near 

 the ground. (I understand that buds sometimes occur on 

 the roots.) The branches bear others again in turn, all of 

 which give rise to short reduced leaf -bearing branches, the 

 leaves of which have flower buds in their axils. The large 

 branches are all woody, the reduced ones are softer but 

 have a covering of brownish bark at their lower extremity. 



The branches bear spines for protection. These are 

 woody, sharp, about half an inch in length. They are 



Fig. 140. 

 Series of leaf stalks of Hawthorn, showing grades of variation of stipules. 



modified branches, and arise between two of the short leaf - 

 bearing ones already referred to or alongside one of them. 

 After these have fallen away, the spine frequently length- 

 ens and produces short leaf -bearing branches itself, thus 

 clearly showing its true nature. 



The leaves are simple, alternate, and have stipules, which 

 are very variable. On the younger leaves they are large 

 and leafy, and a gradation may be traced through almost 



