150 TREATISE ON FRUIT TREES. 



Three to six leaves develop from each bud that opens in the spring. If it was a 

 vegetative bud, a branch emerges from among them, or a cluster of flowers if it was a 

 fruiting bud. Most commonly four leaves develop, two of which are small & are shaped 

 almost like a racket. The other two, much larger, are about two inches long and an inch 

 wide. They're pointed at the end next to the extremely short stalk. They widen quite 

 uniformly up to their midpoint, & terminate almost ovally. The veins are few in number 

 & are not very prominent. The margins are crenate rather than dentate, though not deeply 

 so. Each tooth or crenation terminates in a tiny soft spine as fine as a small hair half a 

 ligne long. These tiny spines & the entire margin of the leaf are lightly tinged with red. 

 The leaves are thick, stiff, a bluish-green on the inside, light green, almost white on the 

 outside, with a strong & unpleasant odor. 



The flowers, that smell the same as the leaves, bloom at the beginning of May. 

 They're arranged in clusters of from twelve to thirty blossoms; their stalk & pedicels are 

 red & very slender. When completely spread open (because they normally open only 

 halfway), they're about two-&-a-half lignes in diameter. They consist of: 1°. a calyx or 

 perianth of six segments. Three are red & very small; the other three are two lignes long, 

 one ligne wide, very much hollowed like a spoon and an extremely bright yellow. 2°. six 

 petals two lignes long by a little more than a ligne wide, hollowed spoonlike, puckered at 

 the edges and a pale yellow. On each side of the unguis there's a small deep yellow 

 gland. 3°. six stamens that lie flat on the petals & emanate from their unguis. If that spot 

 on the unguis is touched, the stamens move toward the pistil. Since the petals ordinarily 

 follow the movement of the stamens, the flower closes up. 4°. a cylindrical light green 

 pistil. 



