48 G LXXII. CUPULIFEILE. [Quercus. 



short thick peduncles, on the current year's wood. Lower scales of cup ovate, 

 adpressed, upper lanceolate, spreading. Western Mediterranean region, South- 

 ern and Eastern Spain, Algeria, South France, Corsica, Italy, Sicily, Dalmatia. 

 Attains a very large size in Andalusia. Hardy in England. The wood is simi- 

 lar to that of Q. Ilex, medullary rays very broad, nearly 1 line wide, but larger 

 pores. Cork is the outer bark of the trunk, composed of cellular tissue ; it com- 

 mences to form at an early age, and is generally taken off in intervals of 7-10 

 years. It is removed during the summer months, and great care is necessary 

 not to injure the surface of the inner bark, and the layer of soft cellular tissue 

 between the inner bark and the cork, from which the latter is regenerated. 

 The naked trunks of the trees from which the cork has recently been removed, 

 have a peculiar reddish colour, until they reclothe themselves with a fresh layer 

 of cork. The first crop (called liege mdle in Provence) is cracked and irregu- 

 lar, and is generally without value; the succeeding crops form the cork of 

 commerce, and a tree continues to yield these periodical crops until an advanced 

 age. The principal supply of cork comes from Spain, but France also has fine 

 and valuable Cork-Oak forests ; the tree is often mixed with Q. Ilex and 

 Pinus Pinaster, on the range of hills called Les Maures in Provence, be- 

 tween Hyeres and Draguignan, and in Corsica. In Algeria the Cork-Oak 

 forests are more extensive, but they have of late years suffered much from fires. 

 The tree has a thin and light foliage, and thus favours the growth of Erica 

 arborea and other underwood, which catches 'and spreads fire readily during the 

 dry and hot summer months. In Provence, also, destructive forest-fires have 

 at varioiis times damaged extensive forests containing the Cork-Oak. Plants 

 of the Cork-Oak have repeatedly been sent to India, but as yet without much 

 success. 



13. Q. 'occidentalis, Gay ; DC. Prodr. xvi. ii. 44 (figd. by Kotschy 1. c. t. 33 

 as Q. Suber), differs from Q. Suber, mainly by requiring two years to ripen its 

 fruit, which is on short stout peduncles on the previous year's wood. Portugal, 

 Gallicia, Asturia, South-West France. The leaves remain a little more than a 

 year on the branches. Produces cork of excellent quality, which is collected 

 like that of Q. Suber. More hardy than Q. Suber, extends considerably farther 

 north; many of the old Cork-Oak trees in England and Ireland belong to this 

 species. Mathieu (Fl. For. 265) relates a remarkable instance of Cork-Oak 

 plantations made at Belle-Isle-en Mer (lat. 47 20'), in 1826, with plants and 

 acorns brought from Catalonia (Q. Suber) and the Landes (Q. occidentalis). 

 The former all perished, but the latter survived. In spite of these interesting 

 and well-established facts, it seems doubtful whether Q. occidentalis ought to be 

 retained as a distinct species. The duration of the leaves, and the time which 

 the acorns require to ripen, are subject to great variations in several species of 

 this genus ; and it seems doubtful whether these characters can, in the present 

 case, be relied upon for specific distinction. 



14. Q. serrata, Thunb. Fl. Jap. 176 (not of Roxb.) Syn. Q. poly- 

 antha, Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 2771. 



A middle-sized deciduous tree; buds ovoid-lanceolate, closed, scales acute, 

 floccose, youngest shoots pubescent with soft hairs, flowers tawny-tomen- 

 tose. Leaves oblong-lanceolate when mature, coriaceous, glabrous, shin- 

 ing, often with tufts of hairs in the axils of the main lateral nerves, young 

 leaves soft-tawny-tomentose beneath, and with scattered hairs on the upper 

 side ; main lateral nerves 14-16 pair, parallel, each terminating in a long 

 fine subulate serrature, often \ in. long, transverse nerves numerous, fine, 

 at right angles to lateral nerves ; blade 4-6, petiole slender, 1-1 J in. long. 



