ENGLISH TREES—BEECH, BIRCH AND ALDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17527, 2 May 1925, Page 23

ENGLISH TREES—BEECH, BIRCH AND ALDER.

(LX.VII.) Tbc Beech. Th© beech is easily recognised by its olive grc> smooth bark, and by the shape of the base of the trunk, which usually has the appearance of being formed by the union of several separate columns. If you find a beech tree not- decorated with, all kinds of lettering as lar up as hands can roach, bo sure no boy lias passed that way. Paiis, the handsome, shepherd who ' was called te present the golden apple to the god® ss of beauty, carved on a. beech the> 11am© of deserted Aeviono. No wonder Ihe tree is called the beech, the book-tree. The beech is the onlx tree that keeps smooth all its life. The hand ol the old lord, in his palace is smooth that of bh© labourer in bis cottage hard and cracked. This is not. surprising. But the beech trupk is as much exposed other trees - it grows quickly, 100. yet its bark expands as if made of olasi i<*. If it has plenty of room, the trunk often divides near the ground into two or three, which rise together like a cluster of columns. flow delightful under the beech trees near the Golf House in a shower! We hear the rain patter, patter on the ) leaves; we watch it pour from the tips of the branches —but only for a time. Down come a few big, warning splashes, then a sudden shower, and then a regular drip, drip—it is time to go I Having lingered thus, you surely know its buds, and fruits? The buds stand out from the slender twigs like shining, brown thorns, long, pointed, and as distinctive as the bark. They are rather late in opening, but when the outer scales, grown dingy in the winter frosts, fall off ; when the narrow inner ones twist and bang down in long shining ringlets; when the young leaves appear, plaited up like a fan, and covered with soft, white silk : when fancy pictures the fairies coming here for their fans for* Queen Mab’s court, then wo have one of the loveliest- bits of all the loveliness of spring. The little leaf spreads out quickly, and then you see that, the silky hairs do not cover the, whole surface, but onlv the riba down which the fan was folded. Around the edge are silken eye-lashes, and the leaf is so thin that the light, streams through its clear emerald. And now the ovaries- are swelling, hidden away, within soft scales, which join together in one piece, as ir the oak ; but here they do not form a cup . -they cover their hidden treasure completely. as in the Spanish chestnut. At last" the cover splits at the tup into four pieces, which, curl back and show iwo or three nuts packed in so. I silk.

nuts three-sided, with edges sharp as knives. Yet pigs crunch the beech-mast as eagerly as they do acorns. And now the brown ringlets liar© gone from the buds. and on the ground is a carpet, of curls, while the leaves, which were palo from winter's confinement., are grown dark, glossy, and tough from drinking in so much sunshine. In autumn Hie loaves 1 urn yellow arid brown. and the light. shines through again and floods the ground with gold. But the young trees, like young oaks, keep these leaves banging on their branches all winter, poor , withered signs of glory departed. What small leaves for so large a tree! Perhaps these- slender twigs could not carry larger or heavier ones. Thick stems and large slender stems and smell leave- 5 ' this i-; the ruh of tiie trees It is because its leaves are so small that- the shade of the br-eeh. though dense, it. never heavy Over one hundred years ago. there fu'l beech-tree, which had put oil a dress of purple. Cuttings from it. followed th°ir parent’s example. and all the purple and copper beeches which now look so beautiful among the green in our parks are its descendants. The New Zealand native beeches have very small leaves, as smalt us. o. I smaller than, those of silver birch ; * hence they were wrongly called by the early settlers ” birch,” e.g.. li red birch,” " silver birch.” etc. The Birch.—ln the ‘ good old days children did not look upon the birch with friendly feelings:— For not a. wind might curl the leaves that- blew. Hut their limbs shuddered, and their pulse bear low. And as they looked they found their horror grew, , And shaped it intc rods, and tingled at the viow.” The birch is no longer the schoolmaster’s friend " But. it was not children only who knew tbc sting of slender birch tv.igs. Tn Rome the lict-ors walked before the magistrates, to clear the wav and to punish offenders. aaid in token of their office they carried an ax® and a bundle of birchrods. Yet Coleridge called the birch ” the lady of the woods.’’ because it is co gentle and so graceful, like a green fountain always at. play. Often the lady shakes out her tresses, covers her face, bows down her head. and weeps TYbafc season of the year is It? If autumn, you will find on the ends of the twigs two tiny cucumbers making a V. They are next year’s flowerbuds—for this tree, having two kinds of flowers to make, gets one kind ready in advance, that it may not be quite so busy in spring. Now let us look again in spring

The hitlr: leaves are packed i" •!>*’ bud like vou»c beech leaves- not i-'ded, but plaited. Tn this hardy !, ~ bud there i'ti wrapping •’ seff -d’ . ;nd few scales. Fach liUl« leaf open and spreads. I shakes out from " .talk two little fit reamers*. And the little eu umbers? They :,r.- now lo« eh shaking strings, bearing broad < ale that bohl bouquets of stamens. Her© is a no-her fail among the hares, cotine out with them from a leaf-bud -a. fed small, bard, and dark green, yet fringed uith red. for above each of its green scales a wee tassel of six red styles peeps out. waiting in catch some yellow dust from the stamens waring above- It is a very sturdy, erect little tad. Now is the end of summer . at the base of each three-lobed scale are three winged nutlets, with two withered styles on the top of each. Where are the birch forests: They are on the hill tops and in the cold countries; further north than the firs they go, into the snow-lands of the ice-king, whose frosty breach has made their bark so >hiie and shining. The Tapp children know all their ways, tor with their bark houses are tiled, mats, baskets, and boots are made. In Canada grows the “ paper birch, so called because its bark splits info numerous layers. "From, this canoes are made, so light that they can be carried on the shoulders from one lake or river to another. How is it that “ the lad? of the woods’’ is the hardiest of all trees? We should hare expected her. with such pale, slender trunk. such cord-like branches and small leave s :, to have been the most tender and sensitive. But. woman-like, she- venture*- boldly to the help and comfort of those countries that are deserted by others. The Alder.—By the water.~.ide we find, the alders. They seem to feel tor water the same strange attraction that we do. unlike their cousin, the birch, who loves the breezy hill-tops. Tr. Christchurch you mav so e them on the Aron's banks by the Victoria Street Bridge, jp front of the Supreme Com tThe aider leai forgets its point -

often there is such a big bay there instead, that you might think a caterpillar had crept round and scooped it. out. But then a caterpillar would not. like to gnaw through a midrib, which would be to it a big hard bone. The r « »re also two yellow ears on the leaf-stalk bud-covers which this leaf does not throw off as most leaves do In late summer the alder has a eunous sight, to show you—it seems covered with sprays, some of Mack cone* and others of dark green egg*. The black “ cones ” are last year** seed catkirfs. whose wedge-shaped woody stales have* dropped their nutlets. The small green cricket-balls aro this year’s catkins, their scales as yet shut, tightly. And among the leaves on the newest- twigs nest year’s catkins are appearing. The old catkiu, whose ’work is done, the catkin in its prime of life, and the little one getting ready for work, live here together. As winter approaches, the green doors of this year's catkins come ajar, and oih of each fall two nutlets, not winged, ns in birch, for fear of landing on dry ground. The empty catkins hang there all winter, to be old black cones next, summer. hi spring the stamiuate catkins are beautiful tails of rich red-brown, hanging like legions of big eate:'ptd ars - Each threc-i>o»nted scale holds a bouquet of four stamens. On the tips of neighJm-mjring twigs are vc-y tiny, stiff, reddish, -'atkins which will bv autumn, mils The waving tails soo* fade and drop their fertilising work I' over, and make a carpet beneath the tree. Alder wood to Tike water an*—n wben it i- <■;<' a<l T 1 rgi Issy-G that j the fir- * I t v of ald-r . *nd the ! famou,® bridge •»! ihc Kialto in Ven I ' e ! The aid*-: ■ a t*-ry old Engli. b i native 111 the ]'--trends of Kmg Arthur it w n *l* - da nisei of the alder who tempted FerctvaJ to s?in. for the tree inspired our ancestors -with a, feeling of gloom Among the paler willows they stand, like deep shadow* I in sunlight.