686 CORYLACEZ OR CUPULIFER. 
Properties and Uses.—Most important on account of their 
valuable timber. Many yield edible seeds, and some have 
highly astringent barks and cupules. 
Carpinus.— C. Betulus,the Hornbeam, and C. americanus, are well known 
for their timber, which is principally employed for making agricultural im- 
plements, and for the cogs of mill wheels. 
Castanea.— C, vulgaris (vesca) is the Spanish Chestnut, ‘which i is much 
cultivated for its timber, and for its edible fruits or nuts. These nuts are 
principally imported from Spain, where they are largely employed as an 
article of food by the agricultural classes. —C. americana, a native of the 
United States, also yields a much smaller, but very sweet, kind of Chestnut, 
which has been occasionally imported. 
Corylus Avellana, the common Hazel, is the origin of the most anciently 
used and most extensively consumed of all our edible nuts. There are 
several varieties of the Hazel, as the White, Red, and Jerusalem Filberts ; 
the Great and Clustered Cobs; the Red Smyrna, the Black Spanish, the 
Barcelona Nuts, &c. The importation of these alone into this country 
is, on an average, 150,000 bushels a year. The oil which is obtained from 
them by expression is occasionally employed by artists and watchmakers. 
Good charcoal is also obtained from the branches of the Hazel. 
Fagus.—F. sylvatica, the Common Beech, is well known for its timber. 
The fruits (Beech-mast) form a food for pigs. The fruit of F. ferruginea is 
eaten in North America. The seeds of some species yield by expression a 
fixed oil. 
Ostrya vulguris (virginica) possesses a very hard wood, which in America 
has been called in consequence Iron-wood. It is also termed Lever-wood 
from its being used for making levers. 
Quercus.—The timber of several species of this genus is employed for 
ship-building, and other important purposes ; namely, that of the Q. Rubur, 
the common British Oak, of which there are two varieties, which by some 
are regarded as distinct species, and called Q. pedunculata and Q. sessili- 
flora; that of the Q. Cerris, Turkey or Adriatic Oak ; of the Q. alba, White 
Oak ; the Q. rubra, Red Oak; the Black Oak (Q. tinctoria) ; the Q. Llex ; 
and the Live Oak (Q. virens), and others. Many Japanese species also 
yield valuable timber. The bark of several species is astringent, and largely 
employed in tanning, &c.; that of Quercus Robur var. pedunculata i is most 
esteemed. The dried bark of the smaller branches and young stems of this 
plant is official in the British Pharmacopceia, and is employed in medicine 
as an astringent and tonic. The fruits (acorns) of this and the other species 
or varieties which are natives of this country have been also generally recom- 
mended as food for cattle, but recent experience would seem to show that 
they possess injurious properties. The outer bark of Quercus Suber, the 
Cork Oak, constitutes the cork of commerce. The bark obtained from the 
younger branches of the same tree is also imported into this country from . 
Spain. It is commonly known as European Alcornoque Bark, and is used 
for tanning purposes. (See Bowdichia.) The inner bark of older stems is 
also imported as cork-tree bark, and similarly employed.— Quercus Egylops. 
The acorn-cups (cupules) of this species are imported from the Levant 
under the name of Valonia; the dried half-matured acorns of the same 
plant are also imported under the name of Camata; and the very young 
ones as Camatina. These three articles are valuable for their tanning pro- 
perties.— Quercus tinctoria, the Black Oak, has already been noticed as a 
valuable timber tree. Its bark is called Quereitron Bark ; it is used for 
tanning, and in this country its inner portion is also employed for dyeing 
yellow. The bark of Quercus alba is official in the United States Pharma- 
copeia, where it is employed for its astringent, febrifugal, and tonic proper- 
ties. The bark of Q. aquatica, a North ‘American species, and that of Q. 
