THE ALDER AND THE HAZEL 



209 



sunshine in January, and even in 

 Dccenibcr, will often eause one or more 

 of the stiff eylinclers to lenjjjthen out and 

 hang down yellow with pollen as if eagerly 

 anticipant of spring. 



When spring reall\- conies these yellow 

 catkins are abundant. The Hazel then 

 has all its pennons out in welcome, and 

 they make a goodly show. Now must 

 be looked for the little crimson flame- 

 crests on many of the side buds, tiny 

 but brilliant bits of colour, the only 

 outward manifestation that the fruit- 

 producing flowers choose to make. The 

 leaves do not put in an appearance till 

 considerably later. 



In summer the broad leaves extend 

 themselves in open layers on the spreading 

 branches ; and, if under 

 partial shade as under- 

 growth in an oak wood, it 

 is interesting to note 

 with what purposed skill 

 each layer of foliage se- 

 cures the utmost of avail- 

 able light. Now should 

 be watched the gradual 

 uplifting from the twig of 

 the young fruits, rising 

 out of stalkless buds to 

 stalked clusters with at- 

 tendant leaves. 



In autumn the foliage 

 changes to yellow and 

 rusty brown ; the light 

 green nuts in their frilled 

 mantles assuming their 

 characteristic nut-brown 

 tint. 



The bark on the stems 

 is smooth. The winter 

 twigs are brown and de- 

 cidedly hairy. Theresting 

 huds ai'e rounded, some- 

 what blunt, 

 and fl a t - 

 tened on the 

 outer sur- 

 face. They 

 stand out 

 from the 

 t w i g o n 

 TWIG AND ^^Hl rather ijro- 



RKSTING W^m ni i n <■ n t 



BUD(KN- l^H 1 n c n T 



LAKGKD) Wm bases, are 



OF HA- . , 



ZEL. greenish to 



27 



brown in colour, and show several ])ro- 

 tecting scales. They arc .nr.ingcd al- 



HAZEL LEAVES. 



ternatcly on the twigs, but spirally on the 

 erect suckers. The leaf-scars are almost 

 semi-circular, with three leaf-traces. 



The leaves are softly downy when young, 

 but later become somewhat coarse and 

 hairless. They are rounded, or broadly 

 oval, with a suddenly elongated point at 

 the apex ; those on the suckers may show 

 three such points. The margins are 

 broken up into large teeth edged with 

 smaller ones. There is one midrib with 

 pairs of side ribs branching out from it. 

 The short leaf-stalks are covered with 

 glandular hairs that secrete a sticky 

 substance ])crceptible to the touch. The 

 floivers, pollen-bearing and fruit-produc- 

 ing, are separate, but to be found on the 

 same tree. The pollen-bearing flowers, 

 as stated above, are exposed through the 

 winter as stiff, and short, brownish 

 cylinders, growing, as spring appn)aches, 

 into long pendulous yellow catkins 

 in clusters. The fruit -producing flowers 

 are enclosed in buds, slightly more 

 rounded than the leaf buds, till in 

 the spring they thrust forth their tiny 

 crimson plumes. So they wait, receptive, 

 for the wind-scattered pollen. Some 

 weeks later the leaves unfold ; then cacii 

 flower bud starts into growth. i)roducing 

 eventuall\' a stalk, with leaves, and 

 clustereil fruit. 



