Botanical Questions

Please look at the attached pictures I believe in the Carya genus or possibly Aesculus. My questions are:

The (last 2 photos) dried out (I would call them nuts) - the actual seeds are inside. What is the outside call botanically? Also what is its purpose - to protect the seed?

The other pictures (first 3) - are they next years flower buds?

Also - on a London Plane the balls - are they the "fruits" of the tree and the seed is inside the fruit.

Thank you.

 

Paulownia tomentosa.

Last two pics are empty seed pods, first three are next spring's flower buds.

 

Forgot to mention -

Yes, they are the fruit; the seeds are the little hard 'knobs' on the outside of the ball, with the inside made up of fluff to aid wind dispersal of the seeds.

 

Carya is related to Juglans and has similar structural features, including catkin-like inflorescences and nuts with edible meats inside. Aesculus produces non-branching inflorescences on the tips of new shoots emerging during the growing season from compact winter buds (quite different from the partially developed, overwintering inflorescences of Paulownia) and large glossy seeds (buckeyes) inside soft, smooth or prickly husks.

 

Are all Aesculus seeds referred to as "buckeyes"? I had thought that this term applied only to the seeds of A. glabra. ???

 

The American species are buckeyes and the foreign ones horse chestnuts.

 

Another question - If you look at this viburnum http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Viburnum_tinus_C.jpg will the white flowers turn into the blueish/black drupe to the right?

 

Yes, about a year later.

 

Ok - so lets say the white flowers bloomed in Spring 08 did the drupes, visible now, then bloom in Spring 07? Then the flowers visible now will be the drupes in Fall 09.

Or an easier question - when do the Spring flowers become drupes - that years fall or is it the following fall (a year and a half later)?

Thanks.