CUPULIFER^. 



243 



persistent, stij»ulal 

 400; chietly in 



north temperate 



nately veined, simple, falling or persistent, stipiilal.-, with an invo- 

 lucre of accurrent woody bracts. 



Number of genera, 10, species, 

 regions and in tropical mountains. 



CASTANEA. Tourn. (Chestnut.) Male flowers in clusters of long, 

 slender, cylindrical, erect aments ; calyx G-parted ; stamens 5 to 15 

 in number. Fertile flow^ers in 3's, surrounded by a 4-lobed involucre, 

 which when ripe is leathery and beset with weak prickles about half an 

 inch long ; calyx 5-6-lobed, the tube adhering to the 8-6-celled ovary ; 

 Number of stigmas equal to the number of cells. Involucre 4-valved ; 

 nuts- usually 3 in number, sometimes 1 ; when the involucre contains 1 

 nut, it is top-shaped ; when there are 2, the nuts are plane on one side 

 and convex on the other ; when there are 8, the outside ones are 

 plano-convex, and the middle one flattened into a wedge shape. The 

 nuts are from three quarters to an inch in length, and sometimes as 

 wide as long. Covering shell thin and horny. Leaves simple. 



1. C. vesca. Gaert. (Chestnut.) Trunk from .50 to 70 feet in height, rang- 

 ing from 1 to 5 feet in diameter, throwing out branches nearly horizontal, which 

 extend 20 to 30 feet, sometimes 



forming a liead 50 feet in diameter. 

 Leaf oblong-lanceolate or oval, 

 mucronately serrate, glabrous on 

 both sides. Flowers yellowish, 

 appearing in May. Fruit in Oc- 

 tober. 



Var. Americana is the Ameri- 

 can chestnut, and differs from the 

 European chestnut only in bearing 

 a smaller and more delicate fruit. 

 The tree grows to the height of 

 80 feet, and when in the forest 

 reaches tlie lieight of 40 or .50 feet 

 without a branch, but when stand- 

 ing alone branches low. 



2. C. pumila, Mx. Stem 6 to 

 15 feet in height, branching low 

 and profuse, shrub-like in appear- 

 ance. Leaf oblong, ovate, or obo- 

 vate, nnicronately serrate, hoary, 



tomentose on the under side, 3 to 5 inches long and about 2 inches broad, 

 smooth above, acute at the apex, and obtuse at the base ; petioles long. 

 Flowers axillary; nut solitary, small, and very sweet. 



In Europe great efforts liave been made to improve the chestnut ; and as the 

 trees are produced from .^ced, the varietie.s are numerous. The American tree 

 is believed to be identical witli the F^uropean Castanea vulgaris. Lam. In 

 America no efforts have been put forth to improve the fruit, hence no varie- 

 ties have arisen. 



Out of about twenty varieties grown in England, four are considered as 

 greatly improved. In France also much attention has been given to the 



Castanea vesca (Chestnut)^ 



