564 



THE NATURE BOOK 



LIME LEAVES. 



The leaf-scar is crescentic, and has three 

 curved leaf-traces. 



The leaves are broadly heart-shaped, 

 with one side somewhat enlarged. They 

 have a single midrib, with branching 



BOLE OF LI.Mh .w.AKLi iliUDhN BY rrs OWN 

 SHOOTS AT THE BASE. 



side-ribs. The lowermost of these side- 

 ribs, strongly developed and themselves 

 branched along the under side, start at 

 the point of junction with the leaf-stalk. 

 The margins are regularly and sharply 

 toothed, except in the 

 depression of the base 

 where are no teeth. 



The flowers grow in 

 a small branched clus- 

 ter. This cluster de- 

 pends from the centre 

 of a specialised leaf (or 

 bract), which over- 

 hangs like a protecting 

 wing. This, being light 

 in colour, helps to 

 make the flower group 

 more conspicuous. 

 Each flower has small 

 petals, yellowish 

 white, and crowds 

 of elongated stamens. 

 The stamens mature 

 and shed their pollen 

 before the stigma is 

 receptive. Hive bees 

 are the chief agents in 

 conveying the pollen, 

 and with the Lime in 

 bloom comes to the 

 bee-keeper one of his 

 chief harvests. 



The fruit is a small 

 cluster of rounded 

 nuts, still attached 

 by its main stalk to 

 the centre of the over- 

 hanging bract. The 

 cluster comes away 

 whole, together with 

 the bract, which now 

 serves as a wing, or 

 sail, in aid of flight. 



There are three 

 chief varieties of this 

 tree grown in Britain, 

 respectively described 

 as the small, the in- 

 termediate, and the 

 large - leaved Lime. 

 This may be taken here as sufficient in- 

 dication of their most distinguishing 

 feature. That with intermediate sized 

 leaves is the kind most common with us. 



Henry Irving. 



TWIG AND BUD 

 (E N LA R G E D) 

 OF LIME. 



