The Flowering of the Forest Trees 71 
idea of fraternity and codperation is carried through- 
out. 
But the pistillate flowers of the forest-trees are 
less gregarious. They grow singly, or in small, 
compact clusters, which almost invariably terminate 
the branches and tip the twigs, so that they are 
in the best possible position to catch some of the 
wind-blown pollen as it flies by. Those of the 
walnut, ‘‘ pig-nut,’’ and hickory are bright-green, 
like the unfolding foliage. At the heart of each 
is a single pistil, forking into two plume-like heads, 
which look downy, but prove unexpectedly solid to 
the touch. The pistil plumes of the butternut 
are dull-red, and might easily be mistaken for a 
pair of unfolding baby-leaves (Fig. 11). 
The pistillate flower, or little nut, of the beech 
tree is one green ovary, capped with three thread- 
like styles, and walled about with scales which will 
become the bur of the nut one of these days. 
The young acorn is a three-celled ovary (and 
thereby hangs a tale), containing the first begin- 
nings of six seeds, and capped by a stigma which 
forks into three. Around its base is a little scaly 
covering, the acorn-cup that is to be. 
The embryo nuts of the walnut, butternut, 
hickory, and beech, and the baby-acorns, appear 
