286 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



has received many names, as van purpurea, Loudon, and var. sanguinea, Spach. 

 There are slight sub -varieties which are known as atropurpurea, atrosanguinea, 

 nio-ra nio-ricans, etc. The purple oak was first described by Bechstein {ForsL 

 Bot. 333) in 1 8 10 as Querais sanguinea. 



9. Var. variegata, Endlicher. Oaks with variegated leaves are not uncommon 

 in the wild state. There is a specimen at Kew of a curious form sent by Mr. 

 J. Lindsay Johnston from Eastlodge, Crondall, Hants, in 1882. The Rev. 

 W. Wilks has sent leaves of an oak at Shirley, which were of a beautiful pink 

 colour in November 1902. There are many forms of variegated oaks in catalogues ; 

 but it must be remembered that there is often a tendency in them to revert to 

 the green form in a short space of time. Some of these sub-varieties may 

 be distinguished as follows : — argenteo-marginata, margin of leaves white ; argenteo- 

 picta, leaves with white streaks; aureo -variegata, leaves with yellow streaks; 

 rubrinervia, veins red in the young leaves ; aureo-bicolor and tricolor, leaves 

 variously coloured yellow, white, and green. 



Elwes has seen a very fine variegated-leaved oak at Haldon near Exeter, 

 the seat of J. F. G. Bannatyne, Esq., and I measured one 57 feet high and 

 7 feet in girth, at The Grove, Teddington, which, according to Loudon,^ was 

 37 feet high in 1837. This tree bears leaves, which come out variegated green, 

 white, and pink, changing in autumn to a pure pink colour. The present owner, 

 Charles E. Howard, Esq., informed me that it fruited only once to his knowledge, 

 in 1887. 



An account is given in the Gardeners Chronicle of 14th September 1861 of 

 a common oak which became variegated, the result of having been struck by 

 lightning. This tree grew near Mawley, the seat of Sir Edward Blount, 

 and contained about thirty feet of timber. It was struck by lightning on 26th 

 June 1838, and did not appear to suffer at the time; but shortly afterwards 

 the foliage, which was previously green, became beautifully variegated, and con- 

 tinued to produce variegated leaves and remained healthy. 



10. Var. cuprea, Hort. This variety has bronze-coloured leaves when young, 

 and is said to be a very distinct and vigorous form. 



11. Var. tardissima, Simonkai, Le ckcne de Juin.- — This variety has more 

 regular branching and denser foliage than the common form ; but is chiefly 

 remarkable for the lateness of its leafing, which occurs five to eight weeks after the 

 common oak. It was discovered in France in the valley of the Sadne, from 

 Pontailler to Saint-Amour ; and has since been found at various places in the 

 departments of Loir-et-Cher and Cher, and also in Hungary. It appears from 

 experiments made at Nancy to come true from seed;^ and the delay in the 

 putting forth of the leaf is as marked in seedlings as in old trees. It grows 

 vigorously; and apparently, in spite of the short period each season that it 



' Loudon, Gard. Mag. 1837, p. 10. 



2 For interesting accounts of this variety, the following papers may be consulted : — Gilardoni, Le chhie de juin 

 (1875) ; Jolyet, Bull, de la Soc. des Sciences, 1S99. 



3 But seedlings raised by Elwes at Colesborne from acorns sent from France by M. L. Parde do not seem to retain the 



late-leafing habit. 



