248 QUERCUS ROBUR 



The flowers appear with the young foliage in April or May, 

 and the male catkins are sufficiently abundant to be conspicuous 

 in spite of their small size; they fall off entire soon after the 

 pollen is shed. The little scaly cup surrounding the stamens .is 

 above described as a perianth, but may be with equal propriety 

 considered to be an involucre of bracts. 



Botanists are not in accord as to whether Q. sessiliflora and 

 Q. pedunculata are distinct ; A. De Candolle treats them as 

 subspecies. The latter is the more common tree in England and 

 is the form figured. From this Q. sessiliflora differs technically 

 in the want of a stalk to the acorns and the greater length of the 

 leaf -petiole ; the leaf is also more elongated and the mode of 

 growth of the tree more erect ; intermediate forms, however, 

 occur, yet foresters generally consider the two abundantly 

 distinct. The latter is often called the Durmast Oak. There 

 are besides an immense number of varieties and local forms, 

 many of which have been described as species ; in De Candolle's 

 'Prodromus' thirteen varieties are described under the subspecies 

 pedunculata, and nineteen under the subspecies sessiliflora. 



Hook, f.. Stud. FL, p. 344; Syme, E. Bot., viii, p. 145; Watson, 

 Comp. Cyb. Br., p. 310; Gren. & Godr.,Fl. France, iii, p. 116; 

 Ledebour, FL Rossica, iii, p. 589; A. DC., in DC. Prod., xvi, 

 2, p. 4; Willk. &Lange, Prod. Fl. Hisp., i, p. 238; Lindl., 

 FL Med., p. 291. 



Official Part and Name. QUEECUS COKTEX ; the dried bark of 

 the small branches and young stems of Quercus pedunculata, 

 Willd. (B. P.). The dried bark of the small branches and young 

 stems (I. P.). It is not official in the Pharmacopoeia of the 

 United States ; the inner barks of Quercus alba and of Quercus 

 tinctoria being there substituted for it ; these are described under 

 those two plants. 



Collection and Preparation. In the British Pharmacopoeia the 

 bark is directed to be collected in spring, from trees grown in 

 Britain. The Pharmacopoeia of India also directs the bark to be 

 collected in the spring. This direction should be carefully 

 attended to, because at this season the bark contains more 



