13^ West American Scientist. 



New Mexico, and, with the white oak, are the only Californian 

 oaks not exclusively confined to the west coast. 



Q. Emoryi, Torrey, is found in no great numbers on the table 

 lands of the peninsula and may possibly stray north into San 

 Diego County. This small tree grows some twenty feet in height 

 and forms a handsome, compact tree in favored situations. The 

 small, acute, usually entire leaves somewhat resemble those of 

 Q. chrysolepis. Emory's oak was supposed to be restricted to 

 Arizona and New Mexico, until I sent specimens to the late Dr. 

 Engelmann from this region. Frequently only a scraggly shrub. 



Q. pungens, Liebm, Dr. Engelmann treated in the Botany of 

 California as a variety of Q. undulata, Torrey, of the Rocky 

 Mountains. Dr. Engelmann, shordy before his death, wrote me 

 that he considered it as a good species, and therefore I take the 

 liberty of restoring it to specific rank. It is common in Arizona 

 and New Mexico, while Dr. Parry found it in the California 

 Desert, and I have found it quite abundant in the low mountains 

 eastward of San Diego, near the southern border of the county, 

 and southward over the vast table lands of the peninsula among 

 the pinyones and other pines and with the preceding and follow- 

 ing species. It is frequently not over a foot or two high, but 

 sometimes reaches a height of ten or more feet. The small 

 dentate, sharply pointed leaves are persistent through the winter, 

 rendering it an evergreen, and the acorns are sweet and edible. 

 I remember the low bushes thickly covered with the small acorns 

 set among the leavts in October, 1882, and the exceedingly 

 numerous excresences formed by gall flies that were attached to 

 nearly every leaf These 'oak apples' were from one quarter to 

 one inch in diameter, as round as marbles and as beautifully 

 marked with delicate lines and coarser markings of light red or 

 pink on a pale ground color as any artist could desire. The 

 effect of such gaily decked bushes on every hand during the long- 

 drives will not soon be forgotten. 



Q. Dunnii, Kellogg (Q. Palmeri, of Engelmann), extends from 

 the low mountains of San Diego County, near the southern 

 border, over the table lands of the peninsula, and is not yet 

 known from any other region. It is a tall shrub or small tree, 

 eight to fifteen feet in height, with small, coriaceous and very 

 rigid leaves, on petioles a line or two long, round, oval, obtuse or 

 subcordate at base, with undulate or strongly-dentate margins. 

 The subsessile acorns borne in turbinate cups, the nut densely 

 tomentose within. This is very appropriately called the holly- 

 leaved live oak. 



Q. dumosa, Nuttall, is the common shrub oak extending from 

 Lake County on the north to San Queniin Bay on the south, and 

 from the coast throughout the hills into the higher mountains. 

 It is usually a low shrub near the coast, with sharp dentately- 

 toothed leaves that render the clumps almost impenetrable. At a 



