The Naturalist . rows to the height of fifty orsixty feet with a circumference of ten or twelve feet, five feet fromthe ground. Its roots extend even with the surface of the earth,in a serpentine direction, and with little variation in size, to thedistance of forty feet. The trunk ramifies at a small height, andthe branches, seeking a direction more horizontal than those ofother trees, and spreading widely, form a large and tufted head,which gives the tree a remarkable appearance. The bark of tl>esecondary branches is smooth and grayish. The buds, like thoseof the black Avalnut, are uncover
The Naturalist . rows to the height of fifty orsixty feet with a circumference of ten or twelve feet, five feet fromthe ground. Its roots extend even with the surface of the earth,in a serpentine direction, and with little variation in size, to thedistance of forty feet. The trunk ramifies at a small height, andthe branches, seeking a direction more horizontal than those ofother trees, and spreading widely, form a large and tufted head,which gives the tree a remarkable appearance. The bark of tl>esecondary branches is smooth and grayish. The buds, like thoseof the black Avalnut, are uncovered. In spring its vegetation isforward, and its leaves unfold a fortnight earlier than those of thehickories. Each leaf is composed of seven or eight pair ofsessile leaflets, and terminated by a petiolated odd one. Theleaflets are from two to three inches in length, lanceolate, serrateand slightly downy. The barren flowers stand on large cylindri-cal aments, which are single, four or five inches long, and attach-. 188 The Butternut. ed to the shoots of the preceeding year; the fertile flowers, on thecontrary, come out on the shoots of the same spring, and are situated at the extremity. The ovarium is crowned by two rose-colored stigmas. The fruit is commonly single, and suspendedby a thin, pliable peduncle, about three inches in length; its formis oblong-oval without any appearance of seam. It is often twoand a half inches in length, and five inches in circumference, andis covered with a viscid adhesive substance, composed of smalltransparent vesicles, which are easily discerned with the aid of alens. The nuts are hard, oblong, rounded at the base, and ter-minated at the summit, in an acute point; the surface is very rough,and deeply and irregularly furrowed. They are ripe from themiddle to the end of September, a fortnight earlier than the otherspecies of walnut. The kernel is thick and oily, and soon be-comes rancid; hence, doubtless, are derived the names of Oil nutand Butte
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectscience
