542 THE WYCH ELM. 



It has already been pointed out that the seed of the English 

 Elm is not placed so near the centre of the fruit ; and that the notch is 

 deeper. Each fruit measures about three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 and the whole bunch of fruit may be from two to three inches 

 across. When the fruits begin to ripen the leaves have nearly expanded, 

 and become flat, their normal position. Sometimes the fruit ends in a 

 point instead of being cleft, or when cleft, both sides of the notch are 

 pointed. 



THE LEAVES. 



The buds are covered by numerous scales : after they have ex- 

 panded the outer scales fall off, while the inner ones and the true 

 stipules continue to lengthen as the new shoot is formed, and the 

 leaves develop. The stipules are often conspicuous for their bright 

 pink colouring. The young leaves, which are easily to be dis- 

 tinguished from those of the English species by their length, narrow- 

 ness and sharp point, turn downwards as soon as they burst from 

 the bud. The blade between the secondary ribs is compressed into 

 little flutings ; those on the one side of the central rib are folded 

 against those on the other side, so that only the underpart of the 

 leaf is visible. Soon the leaves and the stipules become separated on 

 the pale-coloured young shoot. The position which young leaves 

 take up when they first appear has been referred to many times. 



It should be borne in mind that the different aspects of tree 

 foliage in the Spring time are in a measure due to this as well as 

 to the kind of fruits which are borne. The leaves of some trees, 

 such as the Ash, Whitebeam, Holly, Wayfaring Tree, and the 

 Guelder Rose, start life outside the bud-stage standing upright ; others 

 consistently turn downwards. Typical examples of this arrangement 

 are afforded by the Hornbeam, Beech, Hazel, and Maple. As this 



