Part 59

LEAVES.--Opposite, digitately compound. Leaflets usually 7, rarely 5, 5-7 inches long, 1-1/2-2-1/2 inches broad; obovate, wedge-shaped at the base; irregularly and bluntly serrate; thick; rough, dark green above, paler beneath, turning a rusty yellow in autumn. Petioles long, grooved, swollen at the base.

FLOWERS.--May-June, after the leaves; polygamo-monoecious; large, whitish, in showy, upright, terminal thyrses 8-12 inches long; pedicels jointed, 4-6-flowered; calyx campanulate, 5-lobed; petals 5, white, spotted with yellow and red, clawed; stamens 7, thread-like, longer than the petals.

FRUIT.--October; a leathery, globular capsule about 2 inches in diameter, roughened with short spines; containing 1-3 large, smooth, lustrous, brown nuts, marked by large, pale scars.

WINTER-BUDS.--Terminal buds 1-1-1/2 inches long, acute, brownish, covered with glistening, resinous gum; inner scales yellowish, becoming 1-1/2-2 inches long in spring, remaining until the leaves are nearly half grown.

BARK.--Twigs smooth, red-brown; trunk dark brown and broken into thin plates by shallow fissures; rich in tannin, bitter.

WOOD.--Light, soft, close-grained, weak, whitish, with thin, light brown sapwood.

NOTES.--A native of Greece, extensively cultivated throughout Europe and America, where it is a favorite shade tree. A double-flowered variety, Aesculus hippocastanum, v. flòre plèno, which bears no fruit is a common garden form.

1. Winter twig, × 1. 2. Leaf, × 1/6. 3. Leaflet, × 1/2. 4. Flower, × 2. 5. Fruit, × 1/2. 6. Nut, × 1/2.]

+SAPINDACEAE+

+Ohio Buckeye+

Aesculus glabra Willd.

HABIT.--A medium-sized tree 30-50 feet in height, with a trunk not over 2 feet in diameter; usually much smaller; slender, spreading branches, forming a broad, rounded crown; twigs thick.

LEAVES.--Opposite, digitately compound. Leaflets usually 5, rarely 7, 3-6 inches long, 1-1/2-2-1/2 inches broad; ovate or oval, gradually narrowed to the entire base; irregularly and finely serrate; glabrous, yellow-green above, paler beneath, turning yellow in autumn. Petioles 4-6 inches long, slender, enlarged at the base. Foliage ill-smelling when bruised.

FLOWERS.--April-May, after the leaves; polygamo-monoecious; small, yellow-green, in terminal panicles 5-6 inches long and 2-3 inches broad, more or less downy; pedicels 4-6-flowered; calyx campanulate, 5-lobed; petals 4, pale yellow, hairy, clawed; stamens 7, with long, hairy filaments.

FRUIT.--October; a thick, leathery, prickly capsule, about 1 inch in diameter, containing a single large, smooth, lustrous, brown nut. A large pale scar gives the name "Buckeye".

WINTER-BUDS.--Terminal buds 2/3 inch long, acute, resinous, brownish; inner scales yellow-green, becoming 1-1/2-2 inches long in spring and remaining until the leaves are nearly half grown.

BARK.--Twigs smooth, red-brown, becoming ashy gray; old trunks densely furrowed and broken into thick plates; ill-smelling when bruised.

WOOD.--Light, soft, close-grained, weak, whitish, with thin, light brown sapwood.

NOTES.--A native of the Mississippi River Valley. Occasionally planted in southern Michigan for ornamental purposes, but is less popular than the Horse-chestnut.

1. Winter twig, × 1. 2. Leaf, × 1/2. 3. Cyme of flowers, with its bract, × 1/2. 4. Flower, with two petals, petaloid scales and stamens removed, enlarged. 5. Stamen, enlarged. 6. Fruit, × 1/2.]

+TILIACEAE+

+Basswood+

Tilia americana L.

HABIT.--A tree usually 60-70 feet high, with a tall, straight trunk 2-4 feet in diameter; numerous slender branches form a dense, ovoid or rounded crown.

LEAVES.--Alternate, simple, 5-6 inches long, 3-4 inches broad; obliquely heart-shaped; coarsely serrate; thick and firm; glabrous, dull dark green above, paler beneath; petioles slender, 1-2 inches long.

FLOWERS.--June-July, after the leaves; perfect, regular; yellowish white, downy, fragrant; borne on slender pedicels in loose, drooping cymes, the peduncle attached for half its length to a narrow, oblong, yellowish bract; sepals 5, downy; petals 5, creamy white; stamens numerous, in 5 clusters; ovary 5-celled; stigma 5-lobed.

FRUIT.--October; globose, nut-like, woody, gray, tomentose, about the size of peas.

WINTER-BUDS.--Terminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, acute, often lopsided, smooth, dark red, 1/4 inch long.