ElvISHA MITCHEIyL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 93 



O. dubia. — Q. phellos? x Q. . Leaves are en- 

 tire, 3 to 7 inches long, and 1.5 to 3 inches broad. They 

 var}^ in shape from lanceolate and linear lanceolate to 

 broadly ovate or elliptical. The lanceolate leaves are 

 shaped like those of phellos, broadest at the lower 

 third; the larger ones are obtuse at each end and S3^mmet- 

 rical. All are tipped with a single bristle. Above 

 they are smooth; below there is some scattered pubes- 

 cence over the entire surface and a line of coarse hairs 

 along both sides of the midrib, as is the case usuallv 

 in phellos. There are many pairs of prominent straight 

 lateral veins. The venation is something like that of 

 tinctoria. The stout petiole is nearly one-fourth of an 

 inch long. The slender buds, .15 inch long, are pu- 

 bescent, but the twigs are smooth. The distinctly pe- 

 duncled cup is top-shaped or hemispherical, with invo- 

 lute margin; scales small, bright brown, closely ap- 

 pressed, almost smooth. The cup is .6 to .9 inch broad, 

 .4 to .5 inch deep, and encloses one-half of the nearh^ 

 globose, black and brown striped, hoar}^ nut. It fruited 

 abundantly. 



Only a single tree of this remarkable form was seen. 

 This was in the open, and was about 25 feet tall, Vv^ith 

 a spherical crown and spreading branches. The trunk, 

 10 feet long, had a rough, dark bark. The leaves were 

 partially green and yellowish on November 20. They 

 all turn a dark brown and drop. When green it re- 

 sembles the evergreen magnolia. Although the shape 

 of the leaves does not bear me out, I think this tree 

 will prove to be a hybrid between phellos and tinctoria 

 or coccinea. The texture of the leaves, however, is 

 firmer than in any of those trees. There is no phy- 

 siological debarment, that I know, which might pre- 

 vent a third species from entering this combination. 



