XLIL— THE HORNBEAM. 
Car pirns Betu/us Linne. 
T HE fourth Order of Dicotyledons is Faga/es, comprising two principal Families, 
the Betulace<e and the Fagace<e. All of them are woody plants with scattered, 
simple, stipulate leaves, inconspicuous monoecious flowers, the staminate ones in 
catkins, an epigynous perianth, from two to six carpels, each containing one or two 
ovules, but only one seed usually perfect in the indehiscent nut-like fruit. Many 
of them, more tolerant of shade than the Willows and Poplars, are forest trees. The 
inflorescences are more or less reduced from an arrangement which is seen in its 
perfect development in some of the male catkins of the Sweet Chestnut ( Castanea 
sativa Miller). In the axil of a catkin-scale, i.e. a bract, a flower is produced flanked 
by two bracteoles. In the axils of these two lateral flowers are produced, each again 
with two bracteoles, which will be in planes at right angles to those on the pedicel 
of the central flower. Finally, in the axils of these four bracteoles flowers originate, 
so that there are seven flowers and six bracteoles within the one catkin-scale. It is 
possible that while the inflorescences in various members of the Order have been 
reduced structurally from this type they have also become anemophilous instead of 
being, as their ancestors may have been, pollinated by insects. 
The group is geologically ancient ; but unfortunately we cannot trace its history 
with much certainty of detail. The Betu/ace<e are characterised by having two 
one-ovuled carpels, but of the two ovules only one as a rule becomes a seed. The 
Family includes the Hornbeams, Hazels, Birches, and Alders. 
Owing to a too general want of observation few of our native trees are so little 
known to the non-botanical public as the Hornbeam. It is abundant in our south- 
eastern counties, and probably formed a considerable proportion of the underwood of 
the great primeval forests of that region. It rejoices in a stiff, moist clay soil, but will 
grow also on gravel or on limestone. Its obovate resting-buds, closely adpressed to 
the branch, may unfold many years after their formation : accessory buds occur in 
the leaf- axils ; and strictly adventitious ones are also freely formed from all parts of 
the tree. This enables it to repair the depredations of browsing animals or of the 
cutter of firewood ; but, as its wood makes excellent fuel, there are few “ spear ” 
trees, individuals, that is, retaining the natural outline of the species, to be found. 
An unlopped Hornbeam, however, such as those in Richmond Park, may reach 
a height of seventy feet with a trunk nine feet in girth, and may form a much 
handsomer tree than most people are aware of, its boughs feathering to the ground 
like those of the Beech. 
The stem is generally fluted, expanding below into buttress-like ridges ; and, 
when pollarded, becomes flattened, “ fasciated,” or grown together, “ inosculating,” 
or dividing and re-uniting in a series of loops, gnarled and distorted into the grotesque 
caricatures of trees of which so many are to be seen in Epping Forest. The fluted 
