1880 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 
several successive frosts, turn to a brilliant scarlet, 
instead of the dull red of those of Q. ribra. These \ 
leaves differ very greatly S AY 
in shape at different stages \ 
», in the growth of the tree. 
® When quite young, they 
~ are scarcely lobed at all, 
% as may be seen by fig. 
1746., which is taken from 
Michaux’s Histoire des 
Chénes, and represents a 
seedling a yearold. Fig. 
zw 1747. is a leaf taken from 
a tree in the Horticultural 
Society’s Garden; and 
Jig.1748., a sprig and acorn 
from an old tree copied 
from Michaux. Amidst 
all the varieties, however, 
in the shape of the leaf of 
the scarlet oak, it may always be distinguished from that of Q. ribra by the 
different hue which it assumes in autumn; the colour of Q. coccinea being 
always a bright scarlet, or yellowish red, of more or less intensity ; and that of 
Q. rubra a dull crimson, or purplish 
red. The leaf is also larger, and the 
indentations in old leaves rounder. 
The acorns are large, somewhat 
elongated, similarly rounded at both 
ends, and half-covered with scaly 
top-shaped cups. As the fruit of 
this tree varies in size with the 
quality of the soil, it is difficult to 
distinguish it from that of Q. tinc- 
toria: the only constant difference 
is, that the kernel of the nut is 
always yellowish in Q. tinctoria, and 
always white in Q. coccinea. The 
difference between the scarlet oak 
and the red oak appears to be about 
as great as that which exists between 
two very distinct varieties of apple and pear: for example, the nonpareil and 
the golden pippin, or the jargonelle and the summer bergamot. These oaks 
are not, however, on that account the less worthy of being kept quite distinct ; 
for it must always be recollected, that some of the finest plants in every de-~ 
partment of culture are the varieties of species, and not the species themselves. 
The scarlet oak, in the elimate of London, and in Europe generally, may be 
considered as of equal hardiness and rapidity of growth with the red oak. 
The largest tree of it which we have séen, and know to be certainly of the 
scarlet oak, is at Syon, where it is 77 ft. high, with a trunk 2 ft. 9 in. in 
diameter. 
Geography, History, §c. The scarlet oak, says the younger Michaux, is first 
seen in the vicinity of Boston; but it is most abundant in New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, and the upper part of the Carolinas and Georgia. In the northern 
states, it is often confounded with Q. rubra, and in those of the south with Q. 
falcata. The scarlet oak was one of those discovered by Banister, and included 
in his catalogue dated 1680. It was probably sent here by him to his patron, 
Bishop Compton (see p. 44.); as we are informed, by the Hortus Kewensis, 
that there was a plant of it in the bishop’s garden in 1691. It was, at first, sup- 
posed to be only a variety of Q. rubra, and it is mentioned as such in the first 
1747 
