THE BEFXII FA^rILY. 121 



does this disappear and the ribs become conrirnicd in their straight, un- 

 flinching outHne. In early spring the buds are exquisite. There are then 

 also, long, gaily-coloured bracts to be seen hanging about the flower. And 

 quite worthy of attention are the stipules which on some of the trees are a 

 rosy crimson while on others they are simply a sombre brown. From the 

 quaintly shaped nuts of the beech can be distilled a fine oil. 



CHINQUAPIN. 



Castdncui pitmila. 



FAMILY SHAPE HEIGHT RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Btec/i. Cfoivn, loitiuicii. \^-\^/cct. I'lorida and Tcxus norihivai-d JTiiit: Se/'toiilut . 



to \f7v Jersey and ivestward. 



Bark : light brown, furrowed. Leaves : with pubescent petioles ; ol^long ; 

 acute at the apex and rounded or tapering at the l^ase, often slightly one-sided ; 

 feather-veined, the ribs terminating the teeth with a bristle-like tip ; dark green 

 and glabrous above, pale below by reason of the dense covering of white to- 

 mentum. Sta)iuiiate amejits : maize coloured ; slender ; axillarv. Pislillate 

 fio'oers : a tew in each involucre. A/v/// ; growing as a green prickly bur which 

 contains but one or rarely two, top-shaped, small nuts. Kcnul : very sweet, 

 edible. 



It is not difficult to know when chinquapins are ripe for almost every 

 country child has either a long string of them about his neck or a small bag 

 of them in his hand which, for a nickel, he wishes to sell. They are not 

 flattened on their sides and their meat is very sweet, — truly, as the old 

 writers have said, " a great daintie." But so small are these nuts that even 

 the natives exclaim when eating them " powerful tejus." They are very 

 eager to germinate and have been observed to send out their hypocotyl even 

 before they have touched the ground. Although usually a shrub, Castanea 

 pumila attains to the size and habit of a tree in such situations of soil and 

 climate as suit it best. 



C. nana is always a low shrub. Its bright green leaves average about 

 four inches long and on their upper surfaces are extremely glossy. Under- 

 neath they are paler and slightly pubescent. The nuts are very small. 



C. denidta, American chestnut, is thoroughly well known and in nobility 

 of outline stands almost as a rival of the white oak ; its dome-like, rounded 

 crown, and branches spreading at a wide angle make it indeed one of the 

 most majestic figures of the woodlands. And when, in maize coloured tas- 

 sels, the flowers hang through the tree it is a splendid sight, while also in its 

 large prickly buiTs there is much attraction. Not until it has reached a 

 hundred years old is the tree thought to have attained its best proportions, 

 but long before that time it is of sufificient beauty to kindle admiration. For 

 making into charcoal its wood is well adapted. As fuel it snaps too 

 stronulv to be desirable. 



