BRITISH OAKS = 3 
the character indicated by the trivial name frequently a in 
error. On the other hand, the stellate or branched hairs may 
always be found if a lens magnifying ten or twelve iiannotile is 
used. There are two forms, or perhaps varieties, of the tree, 
hich may often be distinguished in this way. e more hairy 
form (? the var. 8 of Smith) has branched hairs which are large 
and numerous, especially along the junction of the lower half of 
the midrib and the blade. In the less hairy form the hairs are 
quite short, a and usually bifid; and the leaves appear 
ath ous to the naked eye or even under a lens of low magnifica- 
tion. The latter teem is almost invariably described as canbeee 
€sel= 
aes 
Figure 1.—Acorns oF ee Oak 
a. Q. Robur. b, c. Q. sessiliflora. ag. he: x sessiliflora. 
e, f. Q. sessiliflora, var. y, h. Q. sessiliflora, var. (All natural size.) 
in the floras. Many floras state that the leaves of Q. pipes 
are ‘hairy in spring,” thus conveying the erroneous idea tha 
they are Eaerons at ape times of the year. As a matter of fact, 
veins on the upper surface of the leaf =f multiple Y iaie also. 
In the possession of multiple hairs, Y. umeeeileiiers resembles the 
ap majority of other species of Querc 
Other characters are ve aaa aitriba tod to Q. sessiliflora; but, 
whilst many of them are trustworthy in the majority of cases, 
they are sometimes subject to eaeaeubia variation. For ex- 
ample, whilst the fruits of ne sesstliflora are typically sessile or 
subsessile, there is a form or variety whose peduncles range in 
length up to two inches or even more. This form is abundant in 
some of the wetter districts of the hills of the north and ae of 
Britain and of Ireland. As it oceurs in primiti tive woods in 
Q. Robur is not found, the variation cannot be due to ely 
BQ 
