Slike stranica
PDF
ePub
[merged small][subsumed][merged small][merged small][graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

1 to 10 Maple. 11 to 18 Spindle Tree.

13.

6.

MAPLE, SPINDLE TREE.

PLATE 6. FIGURES 1 TO 18.

O shrub or tree lends more beauty to autumn hedgebanks than the

Maple-the Field

Maple, or the

Maple of the

hedgerow, as it

must be called to

distinguish it from

its larger congener

the Sycamore. Though sometimes a tree, it is more commonly seen and recognized as a shrub, and, as such, it frequently almost monopolizes

Q

In

the lane-banks in rural districts. In spring, summer and Autumn, its foliage is extremely beautiful, turning from its early golden green to a mellow hue of verdancy and passing on to richer and more striking tints in the later season. Apart from its colouring at any season the form and texture of its leaves are beautiful. general shape the Maple leaf resembles that of the Sycamore, being somewhat similarly fivelobed. But the lobes, instead of being cut into numerous, small, rounded indentations, like those of the Sycamore leaf, are divided into larger lobes more suggestive of those of the Western Plane, though, unlike the Plane lobes, they are rounded and not acute-pointed. To the apex of each of the five principal lobes a principal vein runs from the top of the leaf-stalk, and smaller veins, branching from the longer and larger ones, run to the apices of the smaller lobes, the spaces of tissue between the lines made by these principal veins being traversed by a sort of double network of veinlets-a large-meshed network-if the expression may be used-of veinlets giving origin to a smaller network within it. If

the back of the leaf be closely examined it will be seen that the larger of the two sets of veinlets are embossed upon the surface, their course being distinctly traceable from principal vein to principal vein. They form, in fact, irregularlyshaped figures and enclose spaces that are traversed by the still finer set of veinlets forming the still finer network already mentioned, the configuration of which cannot be readily seen without the aid of a magnifying-glass.

When seen in the summer hedgebanks the Maple is often tinged with pink or light red upon its stems and upon the under sides, and sometimes upon the upper sides of its smooth-looking, glossy leaves. The advance of Autumn is shown sometimes by a suffusing hue of pink, sometimes by deep red, and sometimes by a deep golden glow. But, whatever the colour, the whole of a hedgebank will often be found dyed with it.

So much for general displays: and no shrub can better produce a striking effect when seen in the mass. But it is only upon a close examination that the charm of the Maple hedge can be fully appreciated; for the variety of tinting is

« PrethodnaNastavi »