TREE FORMS IN WINTER 



241 



elm ; its whole surface is less deeply incised. The wych-elm 

 is found in most parts of Britain, and is the original native 

 member of the family. The common elm is believed to 

 have been introduced from the Continent by the Romans, 

 and has never made its way into the north of England, 

 where the wych-elm is the 'elm/ pure and simple, and 

 assumes a new importance in the landscape, as does the 

 sycamore. 



Sycamores are common in most places where trees will 

 flourish, but are most frequent and conspicuous in gardens 





SYCAMORE 



in the north of England and Scotland, where they are much 

 grown for the sake of ornament and shade. They are 

 probably not indigenous to Britain, and are said to have been 

 introduced by Mary, Queen of Scots, and first planted at 

 Holyrood. However this may be, they are a beautiful and 

 characteristic feature of the North. A spreading sycamore 

 overshadows the porch of many a hill country farm, with a 

 trunk as grey with lichen as the limestone cropping out of 

 the slopes around. Sycamore saplings are conspicuous for 

 their angular growth ; the branches stick straight out from 

 the stem, and the side twigs straight out from the branches. 

 At this stage of life their bark is smooth. Older trees lose 

 this regularity of growth ; their boughs are rather twisted 

 and irregular. The top of the tree is rounded and rather 



