II. 1. THE OAK. 125 



belonging to the Northern and Middle States. I have found 

 eleven in Massachusetts, growing in considerable numbers. I 

 have probably overlooked several, but they must be stragglers. 

 Two only are natives of Britain ; eight of France, (Flore Fran- 

 caise,) though the number is increased by some botanists to 

 fourteen. Twenty-four species were found by Humboldt and 

 Bonpland in Mexico ; half that number have been found in the 

 temperate regions of India, and sixteen in Java, (Loudon, III, 

 1722.) The oak is found in the northern regions of Africa, but 

 is abundant only in the temperate regions of both continents, 

 avoiding equally the extremes of heat and cold. 



The most natural arrangement of the oaks, seems to be that 

 adopted by the elder Michaux. He divided them into two 

 sections, according to the character of the leaves : the first, 

 comprising those species whose leaves are destitute of flexible 

 points or bristles ; the second, those, the segments of whose 

 leaves are mucronate, or terminate in bristles. A very import- 

 ant difference is also observed in the length of time required 

 for the blossom to bring its fruit to maturity. Most of the oaks 

 of Europe blossom in the spring, and mature their fruit the same 

 season ; and this is the case with those of the American oaks, 

 which belong to the first section. In those included in the sec- 

 ond, on the contrary, the fertile blossom makes its appearance 

 in the axil of the leaves on the new shoot, and remains a 

 whole year without change. In the spring of the second year, 

 after a new shoot has been produced, and new barren and fer- 

 tile flowers have made their appearance, it is, probably for the 

 first time, fecundated, and then begins to increase, and brings its 

 fruit to maturity eighteen months after its first appearance. In 

 this case, the fruit seems not to be axillary, as the leaves of 

 the previous year, in whose axils it grew, have fallen. 



Most of the trees which belong to the first section, possess 

 greater value, on account of the excellent properties of their 

 timber, than those of the second. 



