BOTANY 



The male flowers are either naked or have a perigone 

 consisting of four to six members ; the female flowers are variously con- 

 structed. The presence of a woody cupule is characteristic of many 

 Cupuliferae ; it consists of an involucre formed of coherent bracts 

 investing the whole female inflorescence or only the single flowers, 

 and completely enclosing the whole infructescence or the separate 

 fruits, or only enveloping them at the base. 



Sue - Families and Representative Genera. — (1) Betuloideae. Ovary bi- 

 locular ; no woody cupule. Betula, Birch; Alnus, Alder; Corylus, Hazel-nut; 

 Carpinus, Hornbeam. (2) Fagoideae. Ovary with three, rarely with more loculi ; 

 cupule present. Farjus, Beech ; Quercus, Oak ; Oastanea, Chestnut. 



In the Beech (Fig. 441) the male flowers are borne in small, globose catkins ; 

 they have a bell-shaped fringed perigone and numerous stamens. The female 

 inflorescence is composed of two flowers with a six-leaved perigone and trimerous 

 gyncecium. Each inflorescence gives rise to two three-sided nuts, which are 

 invested by a woody cupule. The cupule is covered with hard bristles, and when 

 ripe splits into four valves. 



In the Chestnut (Castania vesca) the fruit is also completely enclosed in a 

 cupule until maturity ; this is thickly covered with prickles, and splits into four 

 valves when ripe. 



The Oak (Figs. 442, 443) possesses long, slender male catkins with flowers 

 disposed at intervals, and capitate or spike-like female inflorescences. Each female 



flower is provided with a scaly cupule, which 

 ultimately invests the base of the solitary nut 

 ("acorn"). Only two species are indigenous to 

 Germany, Q. peduneulata and Q. sessiliflora, 

 both of which are often regarded as varieties of 

 the one species, Q. robur. In the first named 

 the leaves have short stalks, and the female 

 inflorescences are spicate ; in Q. sessiliflora the 

 stalks of the leaves are long, while the female 

 inflorescences are capitate. 



The inflorescences of the Hazel {e.g. Corylus 



Avellana, the common Hazel-nut), unlike those of 



the genera just described, are developed in the pre- 



Pio. 443.-Quere.is pcdnnmlata, longi- ceding year ; the male last over the winter, naked ; 



tudinal section of the female the female inflorescence is enclosed in a bud (Fig. 



flower. 6, The young cupule ; e, 444), l n ear ly S p r i n g the male catkins elongate 



ovule ; d, ovary ; c perigone ; /, and duoe an abundallce f dry polleI1 while tlle 



style ; g, stigma. (After Berg and r . „ j-4.--1.1ij i-u 



Schmidt magnified.) female inflorescences are distinguishable from the 



leaf-buds only by their larger size and projecting 



red stigmas. The nut is enveloped at the base by a sheath of succulent bracts. 



In the Hornbeam, Carpinus Betulus (Fig. 445), the cylindrical loose inflorescences 

 make their first appearance in the spring. The nut is^provided with a three-lobed 

 sheath. 



The inflorescences of the Alder (e.g. Alnus glutinosa, Black Alder ; A. incana, 

 Speckled or Hoary Alder), like those of the Hazel, are developed on the shoots 

 of the previous year. The male are long and cylindrical ; the female are much 

 smaller, ovoid in shape, and form cone-like infructescences with two nuts at the 

 base of each scale (Fig. 446). 



