670 Spanish Buckeye 



sometimes 3 or 7, quite hairy when yoimg, but becoming nearly or quite smooth 

 when old, the lateral ones nearly or quite stalkless, the end one slender-stalked; 

 they are lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 5 to 12 cm. long, pointed, rather finely and 

 irregularly toothed, roimded or somewhat heart-shaped at the base, dark green 

 and shining on the upper side, paler beneath. The large deep pink flowers are 

 in finely hairy clusters on the sides of twigs at the axils of leaves of the preceding 

 season, and open at or just before the unfolding of the leaves in March or April; 

 their stalks are 6 to 15 mm. long, and jointed near the middle; the calyx is finely 

 hairy and 5-lobed very nearly to the base, the lobes oblong and blxmtish; the corolla 

 is about 2.5 cm. wide when expanded; the 4 or 5 crested obovate petals are clawed, 

 the claw hairy; there are 7 to 10 unequal stamens about as long as the petals, their 

 filaments filiform and smooth; the ovary is hairy, stalked, three-celled with 2 

 ovules in each cavity; the style is long and very slender, tipped with the very small 

 stigma. The fruit is a long-stalked, 3-lobed, 3-celled leathery capsule about 5 cm. 

 thick, splitting into 3 valves when ripe; the seeds are depressed-globose, black, 

 .shining, i to 1.5 cm. broad, usually 3 in each capsule. 



The wood is red-brown, brittle but dense, with a specific gravity of about 0.63. 



