306 



J 



by Messrs. Smith, Leidy, Burk, Martindale, Meehan, Austin, 

 Canby, Commons and others, which have been the subjects of 

 numerous papers, notes and discussions. Even in the light of this 

 new material, however, I find that there is as much difference of 

 opinion as ever. Englemann first considered it as a good species 

 and subsequently decided that it was hjbrid with probably Q. 

 Phellos 'dSidi Q. coccinea for parents. Leidy considered it a hybrid 

 between Q, Phellos and Q, palicstris. S. B. Buckley says, in 

 describing the tree at Mt. Holly : *' It is * * * in a thicket 

 near several willow oaks (Ouercus phellos), of which it is plainly 

 one." Cope and Smith rather lean to the opinion that it is a 

 variety of Q. Phellos, A number of other botanists might be 

 quoted as n^xi\x\\^imbricariay nigra 2s\di other species from which 

 it may have been derived, but in nearly every instance Q^ Phellos 

 is mentioned as being connected with it in some way. Trees have 

 also been reported from the District of Columbia, Maryland, 

 North Carolina and Texas, but I have not seen specimens from 

 any of these localities and the published descriptions of them are 



rather vae^ue and indefinite. 



Q 



phylla has been found, between Newcastle County, Del., and Staten 

 Island, N. Y., were marked upon a map, they would be included 

 In a straight narrow strip of country about ten or twelve miles in 

 width; and this limited belt would probably include nearly every 

 specimen of this tree now definitely known to be in existence. 



The Staten Island station, is, like all the others, on the Creta- 

 ceous formation. The situation is a low piece of wet, sandy wood- 

 land, about a quarter of a mile from the beach. This piece oi 

 woodland is several acres in extent and its most conspicuous trees 

 are Castaiiea, Pinus rigida, Quercus alba, Q, rubra, Q^ stellata, 

 Q, nigra, Q, coccinea, Q, tinctoria, Q. pahistris, and Q. Phellos, but 

 the hybrids are confined to a very limited area, not more than 

 half an acre in extent and entirely within the very restricted ter- 

 ritory where Q. Phellos occurs*. The immediate neighbors ii^ 



this g 



Q. palusiris, Q. nigra, Q 



toria and Q. coccinea. A careful count was made of all trees 



*ln this connection it is a matter of interest to know that (>. PheUos does not 

 grow in any other part c»f Staten Island, 



