56 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



the autumn, often without changing colour. The fruits developed 

 from some of the flowers remain on the branches in the autumn 

 and winter and are gradually scattered by the wind. 



The bark of the trunk of younger trees and of the branches 

 is smooth and grey ; on old trunks it becomes furrowed but never 

 scaly. The twigs in the winter condition are leafless, but marked 

 with the large and prominent leaf-scars of former seasons. These 

 stand in pairs at each node. The grey cork-covered surface of 

 the internode is dotted over with small lenticels. Immediately 

 above the leaf-scars we find the dark, almost black, lateral buds, 

 and the tip of the shoot is occupied by a larger bud (Fig. 14, i). 

 The structure of the buds can be best studied when they are 

 expanding. On the outside will be found some three pairs of 

 bud-scales alternating with one another and increasing in size 

 from without inwards. The inner surface of the scales is smooth, 

 but the outer surface and margins bear short brown hairs. The 

 portions of the outer surface exposed during the winter on the 

 outside of the bud are deep velvety black, owing to the covering 

 of short black hairs. Sometimes the scales of the innermost pair 

 have small leaf-blades at their tips, and thus afford a transition to 

 the foliage-leaves, but usually the change is an abrupt one. 



The foliage-leaves are arranged in alternating pairs on the 

 stem. Each has a thick base without stipules, narrowing into a 

 strong leaf-stalk which bears some five pairs of leaflets and ends 

 in a terminal leaflet. Each leaflet has a short stalk and a large 

 leaf-blade, which tapers gradually from near the base to the 

 point. The margin is toothed. Lateral veins run out from a 

 well-marked midrib. The much lighter colour of the under as 

 compared with the upper surface of the leaflets gives the char- 

 acteristic appearance of Ash trees in the wind. The leaves are 

 detached by the first frosts and fall early. 



Before the leaves have unfolded in the spring some of the 

 lateral buds on last year's shoots will be found to be developing 

 not into leafy shoots but into inflorescences (Fig. 14, i). These, 

 though not brightly coloured, are conspicuous on the bare twigs. 

 The inflorescence is repeatedly branched, the branches standing 

 in the axils of minute scale-leaves, which, like the bud-scales 

 enclosing the whole, are arranged in alternating pairs. The 



