488 LXXII. CUPULIFER.E. [Quercus. 



A large or middle-sized evergreen tree, nearly glabrous, buds glabrous, 

 shining, ovoid, often more or less distinctly 4-sided, the scales imbricate 

 all round or arranged in four vertical rows. Leaves coriaceous, glabrous 

 and shining above, clothed beneath while young with grey short silky 

 pubescence, lanceolate -oblong with an unequal -sided base, acuminate, 

 lower half entire, upper half with sharp cuspidate and somewhat curved 

 serratures, main lateral nerves undivided, 10-14 pair ; blade 3-6, petiole 

 J-l in. long. Male flowers in lax slender drooping catkins, bracteoles 

 lanceolate, twice the length of perianth, hairy, perianth of 5 lanceolate 

 segments. Female flowers sessile, 2-3 on short axillary peduncles, scales 

 of cupule more or less connate into 2-3 concentric sheaths, the outer often 

 5-lobed, styles 4, broad and short, recurved. Fruit solitary or in pairs, 

 on short stout peduncles, cup hemispherical, consisting of 4-8 concentric 

 grey velvety belts, the inner entire, the outer obtusely dentate, acorn 

 short ovoid, glabrous, shining, the lower half enclosed in the cup. 



Q. semiserrata, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 641 ; Wight Ic. t. 211, from Silhet, 

 is probably this species ; the description and the drawing (111. in Hb. Kew, 

 2392) agree, with one exception ; the gland is cylindric and four times 

 longer than the cup. Nothing is known regarding the male flower, and 

 I have not seen authentic specimens. It is a common tree in Burma, where 

 it is called Thitcha. Q. vehdina, Lindl., is probably the same species. 



Valleys of the outer Himalaya, ascending to 5000 ft., here and there on the 

 Jhelam, Chenab, Ravi, Bias, and Sutlej, more common in Garhwal and Kamaon, 

 Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Kasia hills. Generally on warm dry slopes, often gre- 

 garious and associated with Q. incana near the lower limit of that tree. These 

 two species form coppice- woods in the Kangra valley with standards of Albizzia 

 stipulata (O'i). Fl. March, June ; the fruit ripens Aug. to Oct. Attains 60 ft. 

 with a straight erect trunk 5-6 ft. girth. Growth slow. Bark dark grey, rough 

 with transverse deep and short thick-edged fissures. Wood similar to that of 

 Q. incana, but less valued. 



17. Q. lamellosa, Smith j Wall. PI. As. rar. t. 149 ; Hook. f. 111. Him. 

 t. 20. Vern. Shalshi, pJiarat-singhali, Nepal. 



A large tree, with thick branchlets, and short subglobose leaf-buds, the 

 scales spirally arranged. Leaves firm, coriaceous, white, waxy beneath, 

 and with matted deciduous pubescence, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic, cus- 

 pidate-serrate, main lateral nerves 20-25 pair, like the midrib impressed on 

 the upper side and very prominent beneath, joined by transverse veins 

 at right angles, blade 6-12 in., petiole 1J in. long. Fruit in short pedun- 

 culate axillary spikes, cup while young of few, when full-grown of nume- 

 rous (10-16) concentric belts, hemispherical, attaining 2 in. diam., acorn 

 velvety, subglobose, more than half enclosed in the cup. Q. paucilamel- 

 losa, Alph. DC. Prodr. xvi. ii. 101, is not specifically distinct, the number 

 of concentric belts is larger in full-grown cups. 



Nepal, Sikkim (5000-8000 ft.) One of the commonest trees about Darjiling. 

 Bhutan. Fl. in spring ; the fruit ripens in November. Attains 80-120 ft., with 

 a tall straight trunk 40-60 ft. high, and 9-15 ft, girth. 



