CHESTNUT 



251 



enveloped in its prickly cupule ; when this contains 

 three " nuts/' each is the result of a $ flower. The 

 cupule, at first rather hairy than spinose, gradually stiffens 





Fig. 84. Analysis of flowers of Chestnut, Castanea vesca. A, plan of 

 bud, bearing distichous leaves and male inflorescence ; B, of one bearing 

 spiral leaves and flowers of both sexes (the stipules of leaves 3 12 left 

 out) ; (7, diagram of a group of male flowers, stamens and rudiment of 

 pistil only in the larger primary flower; D, a group of female flowers; 

 .E, plan-diagram of same ; F and G, ditto of groups transitional between 

 C and E, occasionally met with. In all, axis ; &, cover-scale ; a, /3, 

 bracts ; a', ', bracteoles, p. 248 (Ei). 



the pointed greenish spines, which then diverge and 

 radiate like porcupine quills, and the whole cupule splits 

 into four valves. Fruit, the chestnut, ovoid to plano- 

 convex or compressed, dark shining red-brown, with large 

 grey stigmas ; 2 3*5 cm. long. 



For the morphology of the inflorescence and flowers 

 see Fig. 84. Each cluster of $ flowers consists normally 

 of a dichasium of three inferior, 6-celled ovaries, each cell 

 with 2 ovules ; each ovary is surmounted by a scaly 

 epigynous perianth, and 6 stigmas or the number 5 may 

 prevail and the whole dichasium is invested by the 



