438 
~ Quercus minima (Sarg.) 
Quercus virens var. dentata Chapm. FI. S. States, 421. 1860. 
Not Q. dentata Bartr. 1794. 
Quercus Virginiana var. minima Sarg. SilvaN, A. ;101. 1895. 
A low shrub forming wide patches by the extensive spreading 
of the underground stems. Branches erect or ascending, less than 
I meter tall, solitary or several together, simple, or branched 
above; leaves firm, obovate or sometimes oblong to oblanceolate, 
3-10 cm. long, acute or apiculate at the apex, repand-serrate, or 
the upper ones sometimes entire, those of the shoots often lobed, 
all glabrous or finely tomentose beneath, gradually or abruptly 
narrowed into short petioles which vary from 2-5 mm. in length; 
staminate aments very slender, 1-4 cm. long, tomentose; acorns 
solitary or several at the ends of peduncles which vary from I-3 
cm. in length, or sometimes sessile; cups turbinate-hemispheric, 
about 1.5 cm. broad, white-tomentose, the bracts appressed, thick- 
ened on the back, except near its edge where they form a fringe; 
nuts ovoid or elliptic, 1.5-1.8 cm. long, dark brown, glabrous. 
Sandy sterile pine barrens, Florida, chiefly near the coast. 
Flowers in March and April; matures its fruit in the fall. 
This peculiar oak cannot pose as a variety of Quercus Virgint- 
ana under any reasonable considerations, It may be of interest 
to note that it bears much the same relation to Quercus Virginiana 
as Castanea nana does to Castanea pumila or Castanea dentata. 
The habit of Quercus minima, with its underground stems, and 
low erect branches which are usually much less than one meter in 
height, is enough to separate it specifically from the gigantic forest 
tree Quercus Virginiana. In addition to ‘the differences in habit 
just mentioned, the leaf types are characteristic and the nerves in 
the leaves of Quercus minima are much more prominent than they 
are in the live oak. The cups seem to furnish a diagnostic char- 
acter, those of the Quercus minima being of a turbinate type, while 
those of Quercus Virginiana are hemispheric. 
V QUERCUS GEMINATA n. sp. 
_ A shrub or small tree, 2-5 meters tall, with a maximum trunk 
diameter of about 15cm. Leaves narrowly oblong, elliptic, or ob- 
long-oblanceolate, 3-6 cm. long, entire, obtuse or apiculate, 
strongly revolute, mostly gradually narrowed at the base, glab-_ 
rous and parchment-like above, finely tomentose and pe ; 
ously rugose by the prominent nerves beneath ; petioles 2-6 mm. 
