882 



THE NATURE BOOK 



four opened cell-walls may readily be 

 likened to expanded petals ; whilst the 

 enclosed seeds, now exposed to view, 

 accentuate the floral resemblance with 

 their vivid orange colouring — "The fruit 

 Avhicli in our winter woodlands looks a 

 flower." 



The twigs are matt green in colour, and 

 so remain for several \-ears. Indeed, even 

 upon the main stems lines of green show 

 faintly through the prevailing grey. Four 

 slender ridges, running lengthways along 

 the twig, give to it a iour-angled appear- 



ance. The small buds, arranged in oppo- 

 site pairs, are oval, pointed, and protected 

 with scales. The leaves are a long oval, 

 but taper to a point, both at the base and 

 tip. They have one main rib, from which 

 branch ofl about eight pairs of secondary 

 ribs. These are slender, and curve for- 

 ward, looping one into another near the 

 leaf margin. The margin is finely toothed. 

 The flowers, which are in small branched 

 clusters, spring from the points of junc- 

 tion of the leaf-stalks and the shoots. 

 Individually, they arc small and incon- 



i^-j. 



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