1893.] Briefer Articles. 107 
BRIEFER ARTICLES. 
The flowers of the horsechestnut—The fertilization of our common 
horsechestnut (Aisculus Hippocastanum) is an extremely interesting 
study, ~ ot 
The flower-clusters are terminal and of mixed inflorescence. At 
frst sight the flowers on the individual branches appear to be arranged 
in racemes, as well as the branches themselves, but this cannot be the 
tase, as the flowers are all on the upper side. The lowest flower 
opened first and was originally the terminal one. From its pedicel 
tose a lateral branch, also terminated by a flower, and this process 
Went on, till the cluster contained, on an average, about eight flowers. 
The method of growth is the same as that of the leafy branch of the 
tree, where the stronger axillary bud of the pair next the flower-cluster 
throws its mate to one side, making it appear lateral instead of ter- 
minal, 
- There are many flowers in a single thyrsus. The branches average 
— ‘wenty-five on my tree, with an average of eight flowers to a 
branch, There are more flowers on the lower branches, for they have 
more time to develop. The first flowers to mature are all staminate 
til only. Later, other flowers with perfect pistils 
"ing a rudimentary pis 
appear, and these are 
oa proterogynous, the style protruding from the 
7 . far as my observations extend, these are from the fourth to 
re . 
: -thegg flowers on the branch, the later ones being exclusively stam- 
In the he generally appear on the lower branches. The stamens 
the Pistillate flowers are perfect and discharge their pollen. Miiller 
—— Daty - 4 case where the stamens do not discharge, as in the maples, 
| | have Hever seen this in the horsechestnut. 
corolla has fe in the flower is secreted by an hypogynous disk. The 
is 2 at OF five petals; when there are but four the lower petal 
blade Wei ach petal has a claw and two projections where the 
Mttsairnitara These projections are pressed tightly against the 
path Ran i € to protect the nectar from the rain, and to close the 
Rides, whien i. imsects. The petals are white, with yellow nectar 
the cluster een stadually to a beautiful crimson. The colors of 
Younger se Variegated, the older flowers having crimson, 
the age of whe fl - Spots, with varying shades of color according to 
ha unis change of color appears to keep the bees 
TS are not worth visiting, for I have never seen a 
‘entrance ¢ erawhing into a deeply crimson spotted flower. 
Path below thal sag 'S at the base of the two upper petals, the 
*on of the stamens, olf by the Projections on the petals and the posi 
