2226

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART

m.

peduncle, charged with reddish, scarious, lanceolate scales, and is surroundedat its base with a double row of the same scales, which served to envelope itbefore it expanded; its form is perfectly oval, and its total length about Jin.The scales, or calyxes, which form the female catkin are of a whitish green ;the bractea on the back is slightly reddish on its upper side; and the stigma,which has two points, is of a bright red. After fecundation, the calyxes aug-ment in thickness ; and, becoming firmly pressed against each other, they formby their aggregation a fruit, which is three years before it ripens. During thefirst year, it is scarcely larger than the female catkin ; and during the secondyear it becomes globular, and about the size of a walnut. The third year,