1900] BRIEFER ARTICLES 353 
to Dr. J. C. Arthur for kindly comparing this with other possibly allied 
species and for material contributed.—H. Haro._p Hume, Lake City, 
Fila. 
THE TAXONOMIC VALUE OF THE STAMINATE FLOWERS 
OF SOME OF THE OAKS. 
(WITH EIGHT FIGURES) 
THE flowers of the oaks have received comparatively little attention 
from investigators in systematic botany. Most authors have described 
the flowers of a single species, usually Quercus alba, which they have 
considered as a type for the entire genus. Sargent in his S#/va has 
given a brief description of the flowers of each species, but the degree 
of variation in the form of the lobes and the amount of pubescence is 
hardly touched upon. ~ 
The present study was undertaken in order to determine whether 
there was not a wider range of forms among the flowers, and, if so, 
whether this variation is constant enough to aid in the separation and 
limitation of the species. For this purpose the staminate flowers of the 
Oaksinthe Cayuga Flora (Q. acuminata, Q. alba, Q. platanoides,Q. Prinus, 
Q. macrocarpa, Q. rubra, Q. coccinea, and Q. velutina) were chosen. 
Staminate flowers were collected from as many trees of each species 
aS possible at anthesis. The flowers were opened, the stamens 
removed, and the perianth mounted in glycerine jelly. In order to 
determine the limits of the midrib it was found of assistance to warm 
the slide after mounting. 
The oaks may be divided into two groups, one containing those 
Which require a single season for maturing their fruit, the other 
requiring two seasons. Of the oaks enumerated above the first five 
belong to the first group, the last three to the second. This same 
division is substantiated by a study of the floral organs. 
The first group has a six-lobed perianth that is campanulate to 
rotate, and has six to nine stamens. The second group is easily dis- 
tinguished from the first by its closely companulate perianth, and the 
stamens are four or five in number. The different species in each 
Sroup may be distinguished by the size and shape of the lobes, the 
amount of pubescence, and the presence or absence of a midrib. 
Quercus acuminata.—This species has a six-lobed, thin, and deli- 
cate rotate perianth, which is 3™ in diameter. The lobes are usually 
