14 



SCIEXCE-GOSSIP. 



CHARACTERISTIC BRANXHING OF BRITISH FOREST-TREES. 



By the Rev. W. H. Purchas. 



{Comiintud from Vol. II., fage 321.) 



The Beech. 



TX tie beech {Fagus sylvatica. Linn.) we have 

 -*■ another example of a tree whose leaves are 

 alternate and so disposed as that each third leaf 

 ranges directly over the first, the fourth over the 

 second, and so on, thus causing them to be two 

 ranked. Then, since it is the tendency of leaves to 

 present one sur&ce to the sky. the other to the 

 earth, soreadiBg horizontally on each side of the 

 '^zriz'z-. — Eir. 3 rem, the primary branches, which. 

 szrlze :r:~ :ui5 formed in the asils of those 

 les.ve5, -.vii; i's: tMhibit a two- 

 raj".'-;ti arra.r-ie~tr.: as to their 

 r:;-: :: iriri" 5.-:h:UiJ^ a.s they 

 le.-j-.Jiez, -'ziy :ake a more or 

 le£5 up 2.ri direction; then the 

 5e::-is.r; a.-i succeeding orders 

 :: criJicJies :; v :ii;h these give 



ment. The intemodi 

 leaves are in the beeci 

 trees, being frequentl 

 or more in length i: 

 hence the intervals b 

 arising from these 

 spondingly long. In :: 

 lateral branches give : 

 now be seen. The an 

 slender, scarcely a qua 

 and this contributes t: 

 character. 



The flovrers c: :he 

 produced in— ei:a.:e. 

 main branches, a: ^tas 

 the early life ;: tiie 

 to leafy side-sprays cr 

 grows older and the cr 

 some of the branchlet 



aoie lor tae rapia eiongaaon 

 shoots. This takes place in 

 iztemodes develop more 

 uni leaves which they bear. 

 r: ;: the season, the leaves 

 -Jie '/'-':.- s pendulous shoots 

 .::- : ; :ze iuremodes than 

 i£ s.::£inei ::s full develop- 

 es :r spaces betv.ee- :lie 

 : .;-ier than in some ozher 

 : : auc a cuarter inches 



;:s are ::rre- 



■:er as vi;; ;ast 

 : ".he ceesh are 

 ;h ir i:a— e:er, 



azi p'S-iulous 



-ever, I thinV 

 r sh:;:5 of the 



ree 

 .te. 



of producing side-shoots -wiih long intemodes, Uke 

 those of the primary shoot, form short branchlets 

 with undeveloped intemodes, i.e. spars, the leaves 

 of which are close together in rosettes, instead of 

 being ran.sred at inter\-als along a lengthened axis. 



s CI the second order, instead 



Beech, in tes TvovrESzya St.'.ie. 



This is the preparation for flowering, but it is not 

 by every one of the nodes that such spurs are 

 formed, but mainly by those in the lower part of 

 the shoot, whilst those nearer the point give rise to 

 leafy shoots, and these (secondary-) leaf}- shoots or 

 branchlets produce, in the following season, spurs 

 like those of the p rimar y shoot. The point also of 

 such branchlets often becomes shortened into a spur. 

 It is only by spurs that the flowers of the beech 

 are produced, and not, I believe, by these until the 

 second year of their existence ats spurs. The 

 flowers spring from the axils of the closely-packed 

 leaves of the spur, the staminate or male flowers 

 f rs: or lovrest in order, and these are arranged in 



