QUERCUS 311 



with us as it does in the eastern United States. In the suburbs of Boston, 

 Mass., and in the Arnold Arboretum trees of the same generation as those at 

 Kew are already remarkably striking for their size, rude vigour, and splendid 

 foliage. Even on young trees in this country I have measured leaves 12 ins. 

 by 7 ins., but on adult trees no doubt they are much smaller. 



Q. CRISPULA, Blume, is closely allied to and may be specifically the same 

 as Q. grosseserrata. So far as leaf, bark, and habit were concerned, Sargent 

 was unable to distinguish between the two when he was in Japan. But 

 according to Miyabe, the Japanese botanist, the acorn cup of Q. crispula is 

 deeper, embracing about half the cylindrical acorn, both falling off together 

 when ripe ; whilst in Q. grosseserrata the cup is hemispherical, enclosing only 

 one-third of the acorn, which falls away free when ripe. (Forest Flora of 

 Japan, p. 67-68.) Introduced from Japan in 1893. 



Q. ILEX, Linnceus. HOLM OAK. 



An evergreen tree of large size, attaining in favourable places a height of 

 70 to 90 ft., and developing in open situations a huge head of densely leafy 

 branches as much across, the terminal portions of the branches usually 

 pendulous in old trees ; young shoots clothed with a close grey felt. Leaves 

 -very variable in shape, most frequently narrowly oval or ovate- lanceolate ; i^ 

 to 3 ins. long, \ to i in. broad ; rounded or broadly tapered at the base, 

 pointed, sometimes entire, sometimes (especially on young trees) more or less 

 remotely toothed. When quite young both surfaces are clothed with whitish 

 down, which soon falls away entirely from the upper surface leaving it a dark 

 glossy green ; on the lower surface it turns grey or tawny, and persists until 

 the fall of the leaf ; stalk \ to f in. long. Acorns usually ^ to in. long in 

 this country, produced one to three together on a short downy stalk. 



Native of the Mediterranean region ; cultivated in England since the 

 sixteenth century. The holm oak is in many respects the finest of all ever- 

 green trees, apart from conifers, cultivated in the British Isles. Its foliage is 

 most abundant, and the branches form heavy dark masses on the tree. The 

 habit of young trees is curiously diverse, some being of distinctly pendulous 

 habit, others rigidly pyramidal. The leaves, too, vary very much in size, 

 shape, and toothing. On strong sucker shoots I have gathered them 5 ins. 

 long and 2^ ins. wide, but that is very unusual. This oak likes a warm, 

 rather light soil, and is perfectly hardy in the south and west of England, and 

 near the coast. In very severe winters it is occasionally denuded of foliage. 

 It thrives well near the sea, and is much planted on the sea-front of some of 

 the southern watering-places, where it is seen as a dense, flat-headed bush, 

 stunted, but otherwise quite healthy. It has one defect as a tree in trim 

 gardens, due to shedding the leaves of the previous year during May and June, 

 and making an unsightly litter day after day. One way of avoiding this 

 nuisance is to plant the ground underneath the branches with ivy, amongst 

 which the leaves fall and automatically disappear. Grown in woods under 

 semi-forest conditions, the holm oak makes a tall slender trunk of rather 

 picturesque appearance, due to the corrugation of the bark. It may also, if 

 so desired, be clipped into rounded or pyramidal shapes and kept permanently 

 dwarf. It should only be propagated by acorns, which it produces in quantity 

 in dry hot seasons. They ripen the first autumn. 



Var. BALLOTA, De Candolle. A Spanish and North African form some- 

 times kept up as a distinct species (Q. Ballota, Desfontaines). It has large 

 edible acorns, to which it owes such distinctness as it possesses. The leaves 

 are oblong, mostly rounded at both ends, with a mucronate tip ; \ to 2 ins. 

 long ; grey beneath as in Q. Ilex. 



Var. CRISPA. A curious form with small, orbicular leaves, averaging about 



