Naturalisation in Extra- Tropical Countries. 407 



Quercus Phellos, Linne. 



The Willow-Oak of the South-Eastern States of North- America. 

 In low damp forest-land, attaining a stem-girth of 12 feet. The 

 wood is hard, compact, very elastic, and suitable for railway-carriages 

 and many other structures [Dr. C. Mohr]. The acorns available 

 for food. A variety or closely allied species is the Shingle-Oak, Q. 

 imbricaria (Michaux). The comparative value of the very 

 numerous Cis- and Trans-Pacific oaks, little as yet understood in 

 the rural world either for avenue-purposes or timber-plantations, 

 should be tested with practical care. Even recently oaks have been 

 discovered on the south-eastern mountains of New Guinea at not 

 very high elevations. 



Quercus Prinus, Linne. 



The Swamp-Oak or Bock-Chestnut-Oak. South-Eastern States 

 of North- America, A tree, becoming 90 feet high ; aged stem as 

 much as 15 feet in girth [Meehan]. Likes rocky hill-sides [Fer- 

 now]. The tree is hardy in Norway to lat. 59 55'. Foliage 

 deciduous. Wood strong and elastic, but more porous and of a 

 coarser grain than that of the white oak ; according to Porcher it 

 is easy to split and not hard, used for building purposes, also 

 cooperage. A red dye is produced from the bark ; the latter is one 

 of the most important among oak-bark for tanning, as it furnishes 

 a very solid and durable leather. 



Quercus reticulata, Huinboldt. 



Cooler regions of Mexico and Arizona. The wood approaches in 

 quality that of the white oak [Pringle], 



Quercus Robur, Linne.* 



The British Oak. Extending through the greatest part of 

 Europe, also to Western Asia, attaining a great age and an enormous 

 size. It endures the frosts of Norway as far north as 65 54 ; ; while 

 in lat. 59 40 ' a tree measured was 125 feet high and 25 feet in 

 circumference of stem [Schuebeler]. Over 700 sound annual rings 

 have been counted, and it has even been contended, that oaks have 

 lived through 1,500 years. At Ditton's Park, owned by the Duke 

 of Buccleugh, is an ancient oak, assumed to be 600 years old, with 

 a stem-circumference of 30 feet at some distance (a few feet) from 

 the ground [Dr. Masters and Th. Moore]. Two trees of the variety 

 pedunculata, in Hesse, have a stem which 3 feet above the ground 

 measures 37J feet in circumference. The much and long admired 

 Giant-Oak at the Unstrut (Germany), when felled at the age of 

 600 years, had the wood perfectly sound everywhere. The stem 

 was 6 feet in diameter. Oaks have been known to gain a stem 12 

 feet in diameter at the base, 10 feet in the middle and 5 feet at the 

 main-branches. At St. Vincent's Gulf the British Oak grew in 40 

 years to 66 feet in height [R. B. Smith]. Two varieties are dis- 

 tinguished : 1. Q. sessiliflora (Salisbury), the Durmast-Oak, with 



