

Palestine form of Quercvs coccifera. This tree is popularly 

 supposed to mark tlie spot where grew the oak, or lentisk, under 

 which Abraham pitched his tent, and it is on this account held 

 sacred by Christian, Jew and Mahommedan alike. In its prime 

 the trunk of this tree was 23 ft. in girth and the spread of its 

 branches 90 ft. Accompanying Hooker's paper, alluded to above, 

 is a reproduction of a drawing made by himself of this oak. He 

 notes a curious difference in the contours of the branches on its 



opposite sides; on the western or Mediterranean side they are 

 much stunted, denser and more rigid than on the eastern or inland 

 side, where they are distinctly pendulous. Nearly thirty years 

 after Hooker's visit to this tree, a reproduction of a photograph 

 of it, taken by Mr. F. Skinner, of Boston, Mass., appeared in 

 ik Garden and Forest," 1889, p. 607. Some attempt at its preser- 

 vation had evidentlv been made in the meantime, as the trunk is 

 seen to be enclosed by a low wall, and some of its branches are 

 propped up. But although the main outlines of the tree are very 

 much the same as indicated in Hooker's drawing, it appears to 

 have become much scantier of foliage and less vigorous, with the 

 marks of age more pronounced. 



In the Herbarium at Kew, there is a leafy specimen collected 

 from Abraham's oak by Hooker and llanbury in October, 1860, 

 and in 1893, a block of wood from it was presented to Kew by 

 Mrs. E. A. Finn. Mr. Finn, the husband of this lady, was 

 British Consul at Jerusalem from 1845 to 1863. During the 

 winter of 1856-57 there was a great snowstorm in Jerusalem^ in 

 the streets of which the snow lay deep for many days. The 

 accumulation on Abraham's oak was so great that it broke off 

 one of its finest branches, and it was from this branch that the 

 block now preserved in Museum 111. at Kew was cut. It is 

 2 ft. 10 in. long, and 1 ft. 7 in. wide. Hooker tells us that, owing 

 to a supersition that any person who should cut or maim this 

 oak would lose his first-born son, considerable difficulty was 

 experienced in procuring hands to saw up the timber for trans- 

 portation. When this was done it was found that the wood from 

 this one limb was sufficient to load up seven camels. 



The largest tree of which we know in the British Isles is 

 growing in the Vicarage garden at Bitton; it is about 20 ft. high. 



In the Kew Bulletin for 1910, p. 167, an account of Quercus 

 coccifera is given, chiefly in relationship to its connection with 

 the dye known as scarlet grain. This dye is obtained from an 

 insect, Coccus Ilicis, commonly known as "Kermes," which 

 breeds on this oak. Hooker observes, however, that he saw no 

 Kerroes in Palestine. 



XV.— MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



Mb. J. Hutchixso^, Assistant for India in the Herbarium of" 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K.B., 1915, 356), has been 

 appointed by the President of the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries, an Assistant, Second Class, in the Eoyal Botanic 

 Gardens. 



