ON BRITISH OAKS, 21 
III. On British Oaks. By Joun Smitu, Romsey, Hants. 
Botanists divide the British oaks into three varieties, and hold 
that there is only one species indigenous to the British Isles, 
namely, Quercus robur ; the varieties being (1) Q. robur peduncu- 
lata, (2) Q. robur sessiliflora, and (3) Q. robur pubescens, or 
intermedia. The first of these, however, is the prevailing tree, 
and may claim to be the true “ monarch,” as most of the giants in 
our land are of the variety pedunculata. The distinctive features 
of the varieties are—(1) Pedunculata has no foot-stalks to the 
leaves, and the acorns are on long stalks. (2) Sessiliflora has 
stalks to the leaves, and short flower-stalks, hence its botanical 
name ; its common name being dur, or durmast oak. The timber 
is said not to be so durable, but the bark contains a percentage 
more of tannin, and it enjoys a greater immunity from insects 
than pedunculata. It occurs in Dean Forest, the New Forest, 
Sherwood, and in other parts of Great Britain. (3) Pubescens, 
or intermedia, may be distinguished from the last by the under- 
side of the leaves having short hairs, which, when the leaf falls, 
has a dull, leaden-like appearance ; and as this seems to be the 
only apparent difference, it is evidently only a variety of sesstilv- 
flora. In Hooker and Arnott’s “ Botany ” it is said : ‘‘ Dr Greville 
has shown that there is no connection whatever between the 
relative length of the fruit-stalk and the petiole. The flowers 
are sessile upon the peduncle in both varieties ; but in sesst/zflora 
it is mostly very short, or almost wanting, in pedunculata much 
elongated ; between these there is every gradation. Intermedia, 
or pubescens, is said to have the lobes of the leaves separated by 
obtuse angles; but both kinds may be observed on the same 
branch, and sometimes on the same leaf.” 
CoMPARATIVE VALUE. 
With regard to the comparative value of the timber of Q. r. 
pedunculata and Q. r. sessiliflora, leaving out pubescens, which is 
merely a variety of the latter, the merchant will give the same 
price for trees of equal size, so that there is really no difference in 
their value. But at the time when oak timber was in demand 
for the navy, sessiliflora, or the durmast oak, was not considered 
