146 



TREES GROWING IN MOIS r SOIL. 



ety called Mexicana dilTcrs from it in becoming arborescent in 

 its habit. It is a very ornamental tree, free from objectional 

 features, and about houses it is much planted for shade. Its fine 

 light foliage makes it desirable for the purpose. 'Vhv Indians 

 and Mexicans assiduously gather its fruit every year and have 

 many ways of preparing it as food, which, it is said, they keenly 

 relish. 



.V. Canadensis, sweet elder or elderberry, is a well known 

 woody shrub, which commonly grows from five to ten feet 

 high. Its flowers and cymes of deep purple fruit are possessed 

 of medicinal properties. The leaves when crushed emit a 

 heavv scent. 



SWEET BUCKEYE. BIG BUCKEYE. YELLOW 



BUCKEYE. {Plate LXXII.) 



. Esc III us octdndra . 



FAMILY SHAPE HEIGHT RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Sodf'-itity. LiunpiiLt; />7iiHi/irs, jd-ijo/i','/. Alon^ i/w Aih\i;/iiinii's April-June, 



■siii^litly pendulous. to Cm. ivcstwayd to louux. 



Bivk : (lark Iiidwm ; se])aratinj; irto iliin pieces. Braiuhlcts : oraiige-liiown 

 when VDimj;. /..v/rv.f ; D.ilmatt'lv-coinpduiul ; opposite, with usually five or some- 

 times seven long, oval, or elliptical leaflets, ta])er-pointe(l ai the apex and base; 

 sharply serrate; glabrous alxjve and pubescent along the ribs underneaih. 

 Flowers: pale yellow; growing on short jjcdicels in close jianicles. ddyx : 

 oblong; with five |)oinls. Corolla : with five petals, the lateral ones long, nar- 

 •ow at the ends and rounded. Shvuciis : shorter than the petals. F; itit : a 

 lound, green hu>k ; uneven on tlie surlace but without jjricklcs and enclosing 

 one or two large brown nuts. 



In the onilincof the buckeyes the is something particularly 

 compact and well-regulated, and iheir symmetrical leaves 

 (ling together as though to shut out the intrusion of other ideas 

 than their o.vn. We can hardly fancy the boughs of these 

 trees waving poetically ; they are much too conventional. The 

 leaflets, as can be seen from a comparison of the illustrations, 

 are very dilTerently shaped from those of the horse-chestnut, 

 which is an introduced tree. The sweet buckeye is so named 

 because the odour of the meat of its nut is not peculiar like 

 that of others of the genus. It is a handsome and shapely tree, 



