CHAP. CV. CORYLA^CE^. yUE'RCUS. 1737 



the Companion to Ike Botanical Magazine, it is p-,, 



stated that the forests of Mount Etna consist 

 chiefly of this tree, which also forms some of the <^y^^.-^ 

 woods of the Apennines, at least in the north ^^^ 

 of Italy. It is easily distinguished at first sight '■ ^ 

 from the common oak, by its inferior dimensions 

 and less twisted stem. Travellers who climb 

 Mount Etna by the usual road from Nicolsi 

 see scarcely any other tree. It is found at an 

 elevation of from about 3200 ft. to 5000 ft. above 

 the level of the sea; and on the eastern side, '^''^ 



in the Val del Leone, to 5100 ft. (CW/j. c^c, i. 91.) Martyn gives 

 the Chene noir of Secondat, pi. 5., as a synonyme to this variety ; 

 but we have satisfied ourselves, from examining the plates in 

 Secondat, that his Chene noir is the Q,. Tauzin of Persoon, and 

 Bosc is of the same opinion. Willdenow quotes the Chene 

 noir of Secondat as a synonyme of his Q. pubescens in his Ber- 

 Unische Baitmzuckt, ed. 181 1, p. 349. ; but not in his Abbildung, &c., 

 published in 1819. Professor Burnet falls into the same error as 

 Professor Martyn, in considering the Q. pubescens of Willdenow to 

 be the Chene noir of Secondat, and the Quercus cum longi pediculo 

 (alluding to the leaves) of Fougeroux; adding, with Martyn, the 

 synonyme of the Durmast oak; and stating that he thinks the ap- 

 pellation .ffobur undoubtedly belongs to this species or variety. 

 Whether Q. pubescens Willd. and the Durmast oak are synonynies, 

 we are not ([uite certain, though we have very little doubt on the 

 subject. There is a tree with this name in the Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Garden, which scarcely differs from the species. According 

 to Martyn, there are trees of the durmast oak in the New Forest ; 

 and, according to Borrer, also in Sussex. 

 Other Varieties. Bosc mentions, 1. le Chene a Trochets, or Chene a. petits 

 Glands, which has the leaves velvety beneath ; 2. le Chene a Feuilles decou- 

 pees, which has the leaves deeply lobed,and very small; 3. le Chene laineux, or 

 Chene des ColUnes, which has also the leaves deeply lobed, velvety beneath, and 

 pubescent above ; ^. le Chene nob-utre, which has the acorns very large, and 

 almost solitary; and the leaves large, and pubescent beneath. This last variety 

 must not be confounded with the Q. nigra of America, or the Chene noir of 

 Secondat, which is the Q. Tauzin. Bosc also mentions that " he thinks 

 the Chene male of Secondat, the Quercus latifolia mas quae brevi pediculo est 

 of Bauhin, different from the chene male, or Q. sessiliflora, of the neighbour- 

 hood of Paris." It seems that this variety is known in the Landes under 

 the name of Auzin, or Chene de malediction ; because the country people 

 there believe that any one who cuts clown one of these trees, or who sleeps 

 in a house built with any of the timber, will die within the year. Bosc had 

 never seen this variety, though he had traversed the country where it is said 

 to grow. It is described as a low spreading tree, with tortuous branches, 

 of great toughness, and well adapted for ship-building; weighing 75 lb. 

 per cubic foot, and consequently sinking in water. From the name auzin 

 had not Bosc described Q. Tauzin separately, we should have supposed this 

 kind to be that species. Le Chene de Haies is also mentioned by Bosc, 

 under the head of Q,. sessiliflora, as common on the Jura, and in the moun- 

 tains of the Vosges, where it is planted for hedges, seldom growing above 

 the height of 6 ft. or 8 ft. The shoots are used for basket-making and 

 tying bundles. The leaves are like those of Q. pedunculata, but the acorns 

 are sessile. It is said not to change its nature by transplantation ; and 

 hence Bosc thinks that it may be a distinct species. {Nouv. Cours d'Ag., 

 art. Chene.) 



In Britain, the varieties are very numerous, though none has hitherto 

 received a technical designation, except the durmast, just described ; respect- 



