loS 



THE NATURE BOOK 



mature. Then the whole tree glows 

 from lowest branch to summit with stars 

 as of pale gold, radiant. 



SWEET CHESTNUT LEAVES. 



In summer the general effect is massive, 

 with rounded mounds of foliage com- 

 pletely covering and hiding, as with a 

 thick mantle, the sturdy limbs ; deep 

 green, but relieved by light reflections 

 from the bright leaf-surfaces. 



In autumn the colour changes to lemon 

 yellow, deepening to gold, and then to 

 dull brown in the fall, which takes place 

 earlier than with the Oak and Beech ; but 

 beneath the Chestnut is no rich glistering 

 carpet of leaves, onh^ dull, sodden brown. 



The trunk is columnar, tapering little, 

 upstanding to the summit. The hark 

 is thick and deeply furrowed. The 

 furrows are longitudinally placed, but 

 in age tend to twist, presenting some- 

 times the appearance as of thick strands 

 in a great cable. The colour is dark grey. 

 The winter twigs are brown, stiff, angular, 

 with strongly defined ridges passing up- 

 wards as though to support the prominent 

 leaf cushions, above which, as upon 

 brackets, the resting buds are placed, 

 though somewhat awry in relation to the 

 leaf-scars. The resting buds are \'ellowish 

 green changing to red, thick-set like those 



of the Oak, but show only two outer scales. 

 They are arranged alternately on the 

 twig, but on erect shoots the arrange- 

 ment becomes spiral. The leaf-scar is 

 triangular with angles rounded off, and 

 shows usually three groups of leaf- 

 traces. The leaves are large, 7 to g inches 

 long, narrow in relation to their length, 

 tapering to a point at each end. They 

 have decided teeth at regular short in- 

 tervals all round, these having a forward 

 direction like those of a " rip" saw. The 

 midrib is in continuance of the stalk to the 

 apex, with ribs on either side (about 

 twenty pairs of them), each ending in a 

 sharp tooth at the margin. 



The flowers are arranged in catkins, 

 of which there are two kinds, both found 

 on the same tree. 



These are simple cat- 



kins with ]x_)ll en -bear- 

 ing flowers onl}-, and 

 mixed catkins with 

 both pollen-bearing and 

 fruit-producing flowers. 

 Both stand erect, ap- 

 pearing at the junc- 

 tion of leaf-stalk and 

 twig of the current 

 year. They do not 

 mature till the leaves 

 are fully grown. Ar- 

 ranged more or less 

 spirally on the twigs, 

 they radiate as stars 

 when seen from a dis- 

 tance. Examined 

 separately, each 

 emerges from among 

 the shield-like leaves 

 as a glittering lance- 

 head exquisitely 

 poised. The 

 catkins with 

 ]xjllen- bear- 

 ing flowers 

 only grow 

 lower down 

 the t w i g, 

 and m a- 

 ture first, 

 putting 

 out their 

 m a n \' sta- 



■^ -■ SWEET CHESTNUT WINTER 



mens irom twig and enlarged view 



the base of bud with leaf-scar. 



