CHAP. CV. 



CORYLA'CEA:. QUE'RCUS. 



1925 



1813 



42. Q. FONTANE'S// Guss. Desfontaine's Oak. 



Identification. A dried specimen, named by Gusson himself, in Dr. Lindley'* herbarium. 

 Synonyms. (I pseudo-coccifera of Catros of Bordeaux, and of the Hort. Soc. Garden, in May 2837- 

 Engraving. Our Jig. 1813. 



Spec. Char., $c. Leaves oval; obtusely sinuated, and bluntly dentate; 

 downy beneath. Fruit on peduncles. This oak was received from M. 

 Catros of Bordeaux, under the name of Q. pseudo- 

 coccifera, but it does not at all agree with the de- 

 scription given of that species in the Nouveau Du 

 Hamel, where it is said to be evergreen, with leaves 

 resembling those of Q. coccifera ; while the plant in 

 the Horticultural Society's Garden is deciduous. 

 Dr. Lindley informs us that it is the Q. Fontanes/j 

 of Gussone ; a native of Calabria, and also found in 

 Palestine ; it being identical with a specimen in the 

 doctor's herbarium, named by Gussone himself. 

 Gussone considers it as identical with the Q. Pseudo- 

 Suber of Desfontaines ; which is somewhat singular, as 

 Desfontaines describes his plant as an evergreen. 

 The tree in the Horticultural Society's Garden is 

 12 ft. high, and the bark and buds are like those of Q. Cerris. 



1 43. Q. ? AUSTRA'LIS Link. The Southern Oak. 



Description. " A noble species of oak," Captain S. E. Cook observes, 

 '* is associated with the Q. Suber in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar ; where 

 I met with it in ascending through a forest to the left of the common 

 route to Cadiz, above Los Barrios. This species," he continues, " which is 

 one of the finest of European trees, and which has not found its way into 

 our nurseries, was pronounced by Dr. Lindley to be the Q. australis of Link. 

 The leaf is very large, and 

 ovate [Captain Cook, who 

 has seen this account of his 

 oak since it was in type, 

 says it should be " obo- 

 vate "], with small inden- 

 tures. The acorns might 

 be easily procured, in Oc- 

 tober or the beginning of 

 November, from Gibral- 

 tar." (Sketches, &c., vol. 

 ii. p. 249.) The acorns 

 were so procured for the 

 London Horticultural So- 

 ciety, through the influence 

 of government, and plants 

 were raised from them, in 

 1 835, in the garden of the 

 Society. Fig. 1814. is a re- 

 presentation of part of one 

 of these plants of 2 years' 

 growth, taken in March, 

 1837. The species appears 

 to be a decided evergreen ; 

 and we think it is allied 

 to Q. sessiliflora. The 

 Q. australis of Link, as 

 quoted by Sprengel, fyst. 

 Veg. Qucr., No. 59., which Ts the Q. hybrida of Brotero, is thus described : 

 Leaves ovate-elliptic, somewhat obtuse, sinuated, toothed, coriaceous,; 

 shining above, pubescent beneath. Fruit almost sessile. Scales of the cup 



(j i 4 



1814 



