The ash (Fig. 127) is a very graceful tree, and its compound leaves, with leaflets springing from the sides of the midrib, give the foliage a characteristically feathery appearance. The bark is ashen-grey in colour. The tips of the twigs are curiously flattened, and the winter buds are jet black. The flowers are small, with two purple-black stamens and a pistil. They open in April before the leaves appear, forming close clusters. The fruits are long and flat, and hang together in bunches which are popularly called keys. They are [Pg 157] only detached by high winds, and are then blown to considerable distances. The leaves appear rather late—about the end of May—and are shed early. They are compound, each consisting of seven or more leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along the midrib, with a single leaflet at the end. The mountain ash or Rowan tree has leaves somewhat like those of the ash proper, but in other respects it is quite different, as it belongs to the rose family (p. 103). 33. THE SYCAMORE AND HORSE CHESTNUT. 1. The sycamore.—Observe the size and general shape of the tree. Examine the twigs in winter and watch the buds open in spring. Draw a leaf. Why are the leaves usually so sticky in warm weather? Notice the hanging sprays of green flowers. Are both stamens and pistil present in the same flower? Are the flowers visited by bees? Why? Follow the development of the fruit. Draw a pair of fruits. What is the use of the wing on a fruit? Do the fruits fall off themselves or are they torn off by gales? Look for seedling sycamores in the woods; also germinate seeds in garden soil and again observe the various stages. Compare the plane, and notice the pyramidal shape of the tree. The leaves are very similar in outline to those of the sycamore, but the flowers are clustered into balls which dangle on long stalks. In summer, pull off a leaf and observe how the axillary bud is covered by the cup-shaped base of the leaf-stalk. 2. The horse chestnut.—Notice the general shape and method of branching. These characters, the large buds in winter, and the shape and size of the leaves in spring and summer, render the tree easily recognisable at all seasons. Trace the connection between the method of branching and arrangement of the leaves and buds on the twigs. Note the date of flowering, and of the unfolding and shedding of the leaves. Examine the flowers; are they pollinated by insects or by the wind? Trace the development of the fruit. [Pg 158] Fig. 128.—The Sycamore.