1264 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



able from those of the Lucombe oak, 1 and are subevergreen, though many of those 

 near the top of both trees had fallen. The other tree, about 50 yds. to the north 

 of the same house, is also by a rivulet, and resembles the first precisely in habit and 

 bark, though the leaves differ slightly. 2 I could find no trees of Q. Cerris anywhere 

 in the neighbourhood, and was inclined to believe that Q. lanuginosa and not 

 Q. Cerris is the other parent. The tree is known in the Provencal patois of the 

 district as Drouin. M. Parde 8 spells this name Drouis or Drouino. 



M. Coufourier, a botanist of Hyeres, gave me a specimen from another tree 

 growing in the " Fond des Gavots " between Montauroux and Grasse, where he 

 said he had seen no Quercus Cerris, though it is reported to occur in the district. He 

 afterwards sent me acorns from the same place which confirm the opinion that 

 Q. Cerris and not Q. lanuginosa is the parent. 



During a visit to Italy and Sicily in March 19 10, I saw in the herbarium of 

 M. Sommier of Florence, a number of specimens identified with Q. Pseudosuber 

 from various places in Tuscany and other parts of Italy. These varied extremely in 

 their foliage. In the Botanic Garden at Florence there is a fine tree about 60 ft. 

 by6 ft. named Q. Pseudosuber. 



In Sicily I was directed by Signor Lojacano 4 to a place called Ficuzza about 

 25 miles south-east of Palermo where there is a large oak wood in which a few 

 specimens of Q. Pseudosuber or Fontanesi are found. The forest guard, who knew 

 them under the name of falso-sughero (False-cork), guided me to a spot abgut two 

 miles from the village, where five or six trees were growing scattered in a wood 

 mainly composed of Q. sessiliflora, here called robore ; with some trees of Q. Ilex 

 (ilice), Q. Suber (sugkero), and Q. Cerris (Cerro). He considered the two latter to 

 be the parents of the falso-sughero, and said that the hybrids produced acorns rarely. 

 The largest tree was very similar in habit to the French trees above mentioned, 

 about 60 ft. by 5 ft., with a hard but slightly corky bark, of which I took a specimen. 

 The leaves were still mostly green on March 3rd, at an elevation of about 1500 ft. 



Remarkable Trees 



All the original Lucombe oaks are extremely uniform in their habit, bark, and 

 foliage ; they show no resemblance in their bark to the cork oak ; and all are 

 characterised by a peculiar swelling at the base of the limbs, which I have only seen in 

 the Turkey oak, and by an extremely vigorous growth and an upright habit. I formerly 



1 A microscopical examination of the leaves of these trees by Mr. Boodle of the Kew Laboratory shows no evidence ot 

 the influence of Q. lanuginosa, which has four (sometimes only two) ray-cells in the stellate hairs on the under side of the leaf, 

 whereas in Q. Pseudosuber and Q. Suber there are seven to twelve ray-cells. 



2 The specimens from the three trees near Montauroux two seen by Elwes and one observed by Coufourier all differ in 

 foliage, showing that all three are probably descendants of the first cross between Q. Suber and Q. Cerris. The acorn-cupules, 

 sent by Coufourier, are slightly different from any that I have seen on English trees ; and have long reflexed marginal scales 

 and short and spreading basal and median Scales. The acorns are depressed at the apex, which bears a minute tomentose 

 umbo. (A.H.) 



3 Arb. Nat. des Barres, 296 ( 1 906). M. Pard informs me that the trees here mentioned at Les Barres cannot now be found. 



4 The oaks of Sicily have been most carefully studied and described by Signor Lojacano, who recognises in his Flora 

 Sieula, iv. pp. 364-389 (1904), no less than thirty-three species and hybrids, specimens of which I examined in the herbarium 

 of the Botanic Garden at Palermo. In this garden there is a good-sized tree of Q. Pseudosuber, and in the Botanic Garden at 

 Catania another fine tree about 50 ft. by 4 ft. which produces large acorns freely. 



