1900 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III, 
2 x Q. [. 6 longifolia Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836; Q. 
I. salicifolia Hort, ; has long and very narrow 
leaves. There is a fine tree at Sawbridge- j 
worth, from which plants have been pro- 2 Was 
pagated in the nursery of Messrs. Rivers. 
ft 2 Q. 1.7 variegdta Hort. has the leaves va- 
riegated with white. This variety was 
brought into notice in 1836, by Mr Veitch 
of the Killerton Nursery. 
Other Varieties. Q. I. lusitanica Lodd. Cat., ed. 
1836, we have not seen, the plant being dead. Q. 
lusitanica Lam. is thought by Captain 8. E. Cook 
to be identical with the Q. Ballota of the nurseries ; 
and, if so, these two alleged species must be only ; 
varieties of Q. Ilex; which, indeed, we believe to be the case. Q. rig 
Willd. is probably also a variety of Q. I ‘lex; as appear to be Q. castilidna 
Cav., Q. prasina Pers., Q. rotundifolia Lam., and some others ; but, not feel- 
ing perfectly confident on the subject, we shall treat them as uncertain kinds 
in our Appendix of European Oaks. Messrs. Lucombe and Pince inform 
us (while this is going through the press), that they have a new variety, 
which they call Quércus [lew ilicifolia ; but we have not seen a specimen. 
Description, In favourable situations, in the south of France, Spain, and 
Italy, and also in the warmest parts of England and Ireland, the Q. I‘lex 
forms a bushy evergreen tree, exceeding the middle size, The trunk is 
generally furnished with branches from the ground y 
upwards; and, being concealed by the dense mass of . 
foliage borne by these branches, the general character 
of the species, even when fully grown, is that of an _¥ 
immense bush, rather than that of a timber tree. (iis 
When judiciously pruned, or drawn up by other 
trees, however, it forms a handsome well-balanced 
head on a straight trunk, and with graceful pendent 
branches. The roots descend to a very great depth, 
altogether disproportionate to the height of the 
trunk ; for which reason this oak is never found indi- 
genous to soil with a wet bottom. The bark is 
black, thin, hard, and even; sometimes slightly fur- 
rowed, but never corky. The leaves vary exceedingly in shape and size, 
from 5 in. in length and nearly 3in. in breadth (as in Q. J. latifolia and Q. 
I. fagifolia), to 1 in. in length and iin. in breadth (as in Q. J. crispa) ; or 3 in. in 
breadth and 3 in. in length, as in Q. J. salicifolia. In some plants, the leaves 
are prickly, like those of the holly; and, when this is the case, the most prickly 
are nearest the ground; a circumstance beautifully exemplified in a fine tree at 
Purser’s Cross. The colour of the leaves is a dark green; and, being convex 
above, and quite smooth, they have a fine shining appearance. Their edges 
are either revolute and entire, irregularly notched and serrated, furnished 
with mucros, or wavy and spiny-toothed, like the holly. Beneath, they are 
more or less hoary or downy ; and in some varieties, such as Q. J. fagifolia, 
they are on the under side very distinctly feather-nerved. The footstalks 
are from iin. to 3 in. in length, and generally downy. The male flowers are 
disposed in catkins 14 in. in length, which come out from the axils of the leaves 
of the preceding year, and towards the extremities of the branches, The 
calyx is campanulate, and the stamens 6, with filaments twice the length of 
the divisions of the calyx. The female flowers are from 4 to 8, sessile, and 
scattered along a common peduncle, which is from 1 in. to 2in. in length, and 
is placed in the axils of the leaves of the current year. They are succeeded 
by acorns, which are oval, smooth, and contained in a cup of from a third to 
a half of their length, covered with very slender scales, very closely imbricated, 
