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of them is in the very tip of the tongue, and all of 

 them are close by the water's edge and lean out over 

 it. You can easily identify them by the tiny little 

 black woody "cones" — the seed vessels of the alder — ■ 

 which are sure to be present on them, for they are 

 very persistent and remain throughout the year. Usu- 

 ally you can see them black against the sky with their 

 parts open, the seeds gone. The leaves are thick, with 

 the midrib and veins very noticeably depressed on the 

 uppersides, and equally noticeably ridged beneath. In 

 shape they are obovate (reversed egg-shaped), com- 

 ing gradually down to an acute base. But look at 

 their margins, and see the sharp, fine serrations. It 

 is this very fine cutting which has given the shrub 

 its specific botanical name — serralata (little serrations). 

 See, too, how smooth and shining the leaves are on the 

 uppersides. On the under they are a paler green, and 

 often slightly downy. In size the leaves are from two 

 to four inches long. In the spring of the year the 

 alder blooms, the staminate flowers in very conspic- 

 uous pendant catkins, hanging like long pencils from 

 the branches. These catkins are made up of a closely- 

 linked chain of bracts, and under the bracts are the 

 tiny little anthers which carry and let loose the fertil- 

 izing pollen. As you stand here, note the fine bald 

 cypress with feather-like leaves just back of the smooth 

 alders, and the handsome clump of arrowwood that 

 masses the right-hand tongue of ground between Walk 

 and water to the south. 



Bocconia cordata. (Tree Celandine. Plume Poppy. 

 No. 50.) In late July or early August the beautiful 



