1924 Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Wills' Cigarette Cards Series


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11 out of 13 pages


No.39 of a series of 50
Plane.
Platanus orientalis.

Although a familiar feature of our city streets, the Plane is probably not a native British tree; when well grown reaches a height of 70 to 90- feet, with a circumference of 9 - 12 feet. Bark greyish, flaking off in vertical layers, exposing the yellowish surface of the inner bark. Leaves three- or five-lobed, 6" to 8" across, glossy. Stamen-bearing and Pistil-bearing flowers arranged in greenish-yellow catkin balls, one or more of which hang suspended on a stalk about 1˝" long. Fruit small, one-seeded nuts arranged in balls or buttons, about 1" in diameter.

1924 Wills Cigarette Card - Plane


No.40 of a series of 50
Lombardy Poplar.
Populus fastigiata.

Introduced from Italy in 1758. Its rapid growth and great height (100-150 feet when fully grown) make it popular as an ornamental tree. Roots produce numerous suckers. Bark rough and deeply furrowed; trunk sometimes twisted. Branches almost vertical, producing the spire-like shape characteristic of the tree. Leaves broadly heart-shaped, almost triangular; silky beneath when young; dancing in the breeze on their slender leaf-stalks. Stamen or pollen-bearing flowers only found in this country, consequently no fruit is produced, the trees being propagated by suckers or cuttings.

1924 Wills Cigarette Card - Lombardy Poplar


No.41 of a series of 50
Wild Service Tree.
Pyrus Terminalis.

Grows in woods and hedgerows, chiefly in the southern and midland counties of England; seldom reaches considerable size. Bark smooth, greyish, scaly. Twigs reddish-brown, polished, dotted with warts. Leaves cut into tapering lobes, coarsely toothed, heart-shaped at base, downy beneath when young. Flowers white, about ˝" in diameter, in loose large flat clusters, appearing in April and May. Fruit oval, about ⅓ across, greenish-brown in colour, ripening in November; hard and dry at first, but when touched by frost are edible, and are marketed in some parts of England.

1924 Wills Cigarette Card - Wild Service Tree


No.42 of a series of 50
Spindle tree.
Euonymus europćus.

Usually seen as a hedge-bush, 10 to 12 feet high, but occasionally grows into a tree about 20 feet in height. Bark smooth, grey. Twigs in pairs, four-angled, green, smell most unpleasantly when bruised. Leaves smooth surface, edges finely toothed, lance-shaped, in pairs, yellow and red in autumn. Flowers small, greenish-white, about ˝" in diameter, arranged in loose clusters. Fruit unusually handsome, a four-chambered capsule, rose-pink, which splits open to show the brilliant orange seeds within. These are eagerly eaten by thrushes and blackbirds, but are poisonous to man.

1924 Wills Cigarette Card - Spindle Tree



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