GASTANEAGEM. 



251 



the Oak, Chestnut, Beech, Hazel, Blackthorn, Elm, and Birch. The 

 bark of the Oak is, besides, employed for its astringent properties. 

 Dried and reduced to powder, it forms tan, used principally in 

 dressing skins. From it is extracted tannin, much used in medicine 

 as a tonic, febrifuge, &c. With us the bark used for these purposes 

 is that of Q. robur 1 (fig. 1S1 — 188), particularly the variety with 

 female flowers and sessile fruit ; 2 and that which is pedunculate, 3 

 often designated by the name of White Oak. 4 The acorns are rich 

 in fecula, but are so unpalatable that they cannot be used as food 

 for man without a preparation too costly to admit of this sweet 

 fecula being brought into common use. They serve only to feed 

 animals, especially pigs. There are many other species of Quercus, 

 the fruit of which is sweet and edible. In Europe, Q. Ilex, 5 Ballota, 6 

 and even the Cork-oaks are mentioned. The latter are two in 

 number, Q. Saber' 7 and Q. occidental is, s distinguished one from the 

 other chiefly by the time required for maturing the fruit ; 9 but both 

 presenting this peculiarity, that their suberose layer, at a certain 

 age, takes an enormous development. 10 At first it consists only of a 



of the anatomy of the stems of the Dicotyledons 

 (see Kies. Mém. sur l'Organis. des PI. (1814), t. 

 14 (Qttercus). — Mirb. Mém. Mus. xiv. (1818), 

 31 (_?"«/«>). — G. de Busareig. Ann. Sc. Nat. 

 séï. 1, xxx. t. 7-9 (Quercus). — Link, Elem. (1837) 

 t. 4; Icon. An. But. l'ase. i. vi. 4-16 (Betula). 

 — Trevir. Phys. Gew. (1835), i. t. iii. 34-36 

 (Fayus). — Dutroch, L'Institut. n. 192 (Quercus). 

 — Bischoff, Lerhb. t. 2 (Quercus). — 0. H. 

 Schulz, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. (184-1), xviii, Suppl. 

 ii. t. 33 (Betula).— H. Mohl, Bot. Zeit. (1855), 

 880 (Fuyus, Betula).— E.AD.TIB, Bot. Zeit. (1859) 

 94, 97 (Fagus). — Hoffmann,.?. Kenntn. d. Eich- 

 enholtz. Flora (1849), 369.— Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. 

 i. 300, t. 107 {Fuyus). — Schacht, Der Baton 

 (trans. E. Morren ), 425, 426 (char, of the wood 

 and hark). 



1 Quercus Robur L. Spec. 1414.— A. DC. 

 Prodi: xvi. sect. i. 4, n. 1.— Gum. Drog. Simpl. 

 cd. 6, ii. 286.— M ér. et Del. Dut. Mat. Méd. 

 v. 585. — Rosenth, op. cit. 185. 



2 Q. sessiliflora Martyn. — Sm. Brit. Fl. iii. 

 1026. — Gren. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. iii. 116. — 

 Kosenth. op. cit. 184, — Berg et Schm. Darst. 

 Off. Gew. t. vii. f. [Chêne à grappes, C. rouge, 

 ('. mâle. R'tnre, Bonn: Ruble). 



3 Q. pedunculata Eiir. Arbi: 77. — Berg. et 



Schm. op. cit. t. viii. a (Q. Robur). — Q. racemosa 

 Lamk. Diet. i. 715. 



4 O. femelle, Grue lin. 



6 L. Spec. 1412.— A. DC. Prudr. n. 73.— Q. 

 Gramuntia L. — Q. ea/icinaPom. Diet. Suppl. ii. 

 217. — Suber angustifoliuir, non serratum Uiiiam. 

 Arbr.ii. 291, t. 2 (Yeuse, Quesne). 



B Desf. Act. Acad. Par. (1790), c. ic. ; Fl. Atl. 

 ii. 350. — Q. Castellana Poir. Diet. Suppl. ii. 

 226 (?)— Q. rotundifolia Lamk. (var. by M. A. 

 De Candolle (Prodr. 39) of the Q. Ilex)'. It has 

 been thought (Rosenth. Syn. PI. Diaphor. 186) 

 that the acorn of this species was used to make 

 the racahout of the Arabs. 



. L. Spec. ed. 2, 1413.— Dvham. Aibr. ed. 

 2, 7, t. 45.— Nees, PI. Off. Suppl.— Havne, 

 Arm. Gew. 12, t. 43.— A. DC. Prodr. n. 75 

 (Alcornoqtte, Surier, Rusque, Leuge). 



8 J. Gay, Bull. S c. Bot. de Fr. iv. 445 ; in 

 Ann. Se. Nat. sér. 4, vi. 445. — A. DC. Prodr. n. 

 SI.— Q. Su/ier Kotsch. Eich. t. 33. 



9 It is biennial in the latter, and maturation 

 takes place the same year in the true Q. Suber. 



10 On the production of Cork, see H. IIohl, 

 V,b. d. Entwickel. des Korkes (1836; ; Vei. </. 

 Wïeder-ersatz des Korkesbei Q. Suber [Bot. Zeit. 

 (1848), 361].— Hanst. Unters. iiber d. Ban uud 



