FAGACE^E 



231 



CONSPECTUS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES. 



Involucre of the fruit containing 2 or 3 flattened nuts. 1. C. dentate (A, C). 



Involucre of the fruit containing a single terete nut. 



Involucre of the fruit densely covered with spines; branchlets hoary tomentose. 



2. C. pumila (A, C). 



.Involucre of the fruit covered with scattered spines; branchlets glabrous or sparingly 

 pilose. 3. C. alnifolia (C). 



1. Castanea dentate Borkh. Chestnut. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute and long-pointed at apex, gradually narrowed and 

 cuneate at base, when they unfold puberulous on the upper surface and clothed on the 

 lower with fine cobweb-like tomentum, at maturity thin, glabrous, dark dull yellow-green 

 above, pale yellow-green below, 6'-8' long, about 2' wide, with a pale yellow midrib and 



Fig. 216 



primary veins; turning bright clear yellow late in the autumn; petioles stout, slightly 

 angled, puberulous, \' long, often flushed with red; stipules ovate-lanceolate, acute, yellow- 

 green, puberulous, about \' long. Flowers: staminate aments about \' long when they 

 first appear, green below the middle and red above, becoming when fully grown 6'-8' long, 

 with stout green puberulous stems covered from base to apex with crowded flower-clusters; 

 androgynous aments, slender, puberulous, 2'-5' long, with 2 or 3 irregularly scattered 

 involucres of pistillate flowers near their base. Fruit: involucre attaining its full size by 

 the middle of August, 2'-2|' in diameter, sometimes a little longer than broad, some- 

 what flattened at apex, pubescent and covered on the outer surface with crowded fascicles 

 of long slender glabrous much-branched spines, opening with the first frost and gradually 

 shedding their nuts; nuts usually much compressed, \'-V wide, usually rather broader than 

 long, coated at apex or nearly to the middle with thick pale tomentum, the interior of the 

 shell lined with thick rufous tomentum; seed very sweet. 



A tree, occasionally 100 high, with a tall straight columnar trunk 3-4 in diameter, 

 or often when uncrowded by other trees with a short trunk occasionally 10-12 in diame- 

 ter, and usually divided not far above the ground into 3 or 4 stout horizontal limbs forming 

 a broad low round-topped head of slightly pendulous branches frequently 100 across, and 

 branchlets at first light yellow-green sometimes tinged with red, somewhat angled, lustrous, 

 slightly puberulous, soon becoming glabrous and olive-green tinged with yellow or brown 



