574 THE HOLM OAK. 



having increased with the growth of the branchlet. Again, though 

 some six leaves with axillary buds are found set along the shoot, there 

 are not six shoots springing from corresponding points along the twig, 

 as would be the case if every bud in the axil of a leaf produced a shoot. 

 Instead of embryo shoots, some of these buds held the flowers for the 

 season to come, and growth stops at those axillary points where 

 acorns are produced. The fact that the twig from its base to the 

 base of the new terminal shoot is destitute of shoots is thus accounted 

 for. Irregularities of growth, due to many causes which have been 

 detailed in the descriptions of other trees, must be borne in mind to 

 make the study of the Holm Oak complete. 



FLOWERS AND FRUIT. 



About the middle of May the flowers appear in the form of 

 hanging catkins. The catkins are crowded together so that they 

 form tassels, each of which may be from two to three inches wide 

 and one to four inches in length. The flowers look like a number 

 of little pale yellow-green balls clustered round the main pendent 

 support. 



The female catkins consist of a central support bearing from 

 five to eight flowers, but only from one to three of these become 

 acorns. The female catkins are borne on the newly-formed twigs. 

 The acorns are a long oval in shape and narrower than those of 

 the Oak. They are a rich shining brown, and take two years to 

 ripen. The cup in which they are set conceals about one-third 

 of their length, and is covered with small downy pointed scales. 

 About the end of July, when the acorns first become noticeable, they 

 are the size of a small pea. Their dark tips just project beyond 

 the capsule, which looks dusty from the brownish-white down that 

 covers it. 



