QUERCUS. 



in Abbot's Infefts of Georgia, v. 2. l8i. t. 91. Michaux 

 Querc. n. 7. t. 12. (Q. virgiiiiana, falicls loiigiore folio, 

 fruftu miiiimo ; Pliik. y^malth. 180. t. 441. f. 7.) — Leaves 

 membranaceous, linear-lanceolate, tapering at each end, en- 

 tire, fmootli, with a fmall ponit. Nut rouiidifh. — Native of 

 North America ; in low fwaiiipy forells, near the fea-coall, 

 from New Jerley to Florida, flowering in May. Purjh. 

 It is faid by Mr. Aiton, on tiie authority of Knovvlton's 

 MSS., to have been cultivated in England by Mr. Fairchild, 

 before the year 1723 ; and indeed, by the collection at Bul- 

 ftrode, this tree appears to have been planted there much 

 earlier, among thofe introduced by the firll earl of Portland. 

 It rifes in its native country, as well as in England, to the 

 height of fifty or fixty feet. The bark is fmooth ; the luood 

 is good, and much in ufe, but of flow growth. Leaves 

 fcattered, on fliort ftalks, four or five inches long, and not 

 an inch wide, fmooth, thin and pliant, of a fine green, with 

 a willow-like afpeft, deciduous, their edges (lightly wavy. 

 Acorns in pairs, roundilh, fcarcely above half an inch long, 

 with a thin, tuberculated, or tefFellated cup. The lea-ves of 

 the young plant are fomewhat angular, or toothed at each 

 fide. There is faid to be a dwarf ftraggling variety, with 

 fhorter /(-i/iifj-. which Catelby has figured in his vol. i. t. 22. 

 Michaux has two fuppofed varieties, which other botanills 

 efteem diftinft fpecies ; fee the two following. The fpeci- 

 fic name, choien by Linnxus, is not a good one, (^iKKoi being 

 the cork-tree. 



2. Q. marithna. Ever-green Willow-leaved Oak. Willd. 

 n. 2. Pur(hu. 2. (Q. Phellos maritima ; Michaux Querc. 

 n. 7. var. 2. t. 13. f. 3.) — Leaves coriaceous, elliptic-lan- 

 ceolate, entire, fmooth, with a fmall point. Nut roundifh. 

 — Found on the iea-coaft of Virginia and Carolina, flowering 

 in May and June. This differs from the foregoing in its low 

 ftirubby habit, and firm evergreen leaves, which are more 

 elliptical in ftiape, and not above two inches long. The 

 whole plant is from three to eight feet only in height. It 

 appears by the accounts of authors to be diftiinft from the 

 above-mentioned variety of Phellos. 



3. Q. fericea. Silky Willow-leaved Oak. Willd. n. 3. 

 Purih n. 3. (Q. Phellos ; Sm. in Abb. Inf. v. 2. 101. t. 51. 

 Q. Phellos pumila ; Michaux Querc. n. 7. var. 3. t. 13. 

 f. I, 2.) — Leaves lanceolate-oblong, fomewhat wavy; ob- 

 tufe at the bafe ; rather dilated upwards ; filky beneath. 

 Nut almoft globular. — Native of the fea-coaft, from Caro- 

 lina to Florida, flowering in May. It is perhaps the moft 

 humble of the whole genus, fcarcely ever exceeding two 

 feet in height, and throwing out creeping fcyons, whence it 

 has obtained the name of the Running Oak. The filkinefs 

 of the leaves beneath gives them a glaucous appearance. 



4. Q. myrtlfolia. Myrtle-leaved Oak. Willd. n. 4. 

 Purfli n. 4. — " Leaves coriaceous, oblong, entire, fmooth, 

 acute at each end." — Native of Carolina, according to Will- 

 denow, who alone has noticed this fpecies, and from whom 

 Purfh has admitted it into his work. The branches are round, 

 brown. Leaves an inch, or rather more, in length, coria- 

 ceous, evergreen, oblong, fomewhat acute at the bafe ; en- 

 tire and flightly revolute at the margin ; fhining above ; 

 opaque, but fmooth, beneath ; on fliort footjlalks. The 

 form of the leaves is much like the common broad-leaved 

 myrtle. The ^owe/v and y>-a/V are unknown. Willd. 



5. Q. virens. Live Oak. Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. I. v. 3. 

 356. cd. 2. n. 2. Willd. n. 5. Purfli n. 5. Michaux 

 Querc. n. 6. t. 10, 11. (Q. Phellos /3 ; Linn. Sp. 1412. Q. 

 fempervirens ; Walt. Card. 234.) — Leaves coriaceous, el- 

 liptic-oblong, revolute, entire, pointlefs ; obtufe at the bafe ; 

 clothed with flarry down beneath. Fruit ilalked. Nut 

 pblong. — Found near the fea-coaft of North America, in a 



Vol. XXIX. 



foil of fand upon clay, from Virginia to Florida and MifTi- 

 fippi, flowering in May. Miller cultivated it at Chelfea in 

 1739' but we know not that this fpecies is ilill preferved, or, 

 at Icall, diilinguiflned from Q. Ilex, in our gardens or planta- 

 tions. It is one of the moll valuable American trees, 

 growing to the height of forty or fifty feet, and extending 

 its branches, in open fituations, to a great extent • whence 

 it fervcs, by its dcnle evergreen leaves, to flicker cattle from 

 the fummer's heat and winter's cold. The tvood is the fincll 

 and moft; durable fliip timber. It is felled towards the 

 end of autumn, and kept three months before it is ufed. 

 Michaux recommends this tree to the notice of the French 

 and Spaniards, as likely to thrive well on the fandy coafts of 

 the Mediterranean, and of the weftern ocean. By his account 

 it fncceeds beft where there is a bafis of clay under the fand, 

 to fix the larger roots. The afpeft of the leaves is not un- 

 like our European Q. Ilex, but they are, except when 

 very young, more unitormlv entire, and more fliining ; their 

 under fide lefs denfely pubefcent ; and their fhort footjlalks, 

 as well as the mid-rib, reddifli. The foliage of feedling 

 plants, and of vigorous young flioots, is, indeed, ftrongly 

 toothed. The adult leaves are fcarcely more than two inches 

 long, fomewhat oval, or obovate and bluntifli, without any 

 terminal briftle ; filky in the fpring ; fubfequently of a dark 

 but fliining green, and downy, with ftarry pubefcencc, be- 

 neath. Tlie_/?am«u are but four or five, i'/ij/^x of the fruit 

 an inch long, jicorn cylindrical, an inch long, with a tefl'el- 

 lated, but not rugged or tuberculated, cup. The acorns 

 are faid to be greedily devoured by hogs, and feveral wild 

 animals ; and to aff'ord an oil, which the favages of Florida 

 mix with their food. 



6. Q. cinerea. Afli-coloured Silky-leaved Oak. Willd. 

 n. 6. Ait. n. 3. Purfli n. 6. Michaux Querc. n. 8. t. 14. 

 (Q. humilis; Wah. Carol. 234. Q. Phellos /3, fericea; 

 Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. I. v. 3. 354. Q. Phellos y ; Linn. 

 Sp. PL 141 2.) — Leaves coriaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, re- 

 volute, entire, bluntifli with a fmall point ; clothed with 



ftarry down beneath. Fruit feflile. Nut nearly globofe. 



Native of dry barren fituations, and pine forefts, from Vir- 

 ginia to Georgia, flowering in May. Michaux fays it fprings 

 up chiefly on land that, after having been cultivated, be- 

 comes abandoned on account of the bad quality of the foil. 

 The form of the /;w is unfightly, and its fize very variable, 

 from four to twenty feet in height. The wood is of no ufe 

 but for firing. Leaves longer than in the preceding ; the 

 young ones dilated at the top, with three points. Fruit 

 nearly or quite feffile, almoft globular, and not much above 

 half an inch long. 



7. Q. microphylla. Small-leaved Dwarf Oak. Willd. 

 n. 7. Nee in Annal. Scient. Nat. v. 3. 264. Fifch. Mifc. 

 Hifp. V. I. 99. Willd. — " Leaves lanceolate, pointed, en- 

 tire, villous ; downy beneath. Calyx of the fruit villous. 

 Nut roundifli." — Found by Louis Nee, on the hills of 

 Arambaro, in New Spain. KJhrub, from three to five feet 

 high, with a rough afti-coloured bark. Leaves on fliort 

 ftalks, fcattered, numerous, from four to fix lines long, 

 fcarcely two lines broad, veiny, revolute, wavy, pointed, 

 reddifli-grey ; villous above ; denfely downy beneath ; thofe 

 about the extremities of the branches oppofite. Stipulas 

 awl-fliaped, falling ofi" at the clofe of fummer. Acorns in 

 axillary pairs, about the ends of the branches, ovate, the 

 fize of a large pea, half covered by the villous cup, which ig 

 invefted with unequal fcales. Nee. 



8. Q. falicifolm. Mexican Willow Oak. Willd. n. 8. 

 Nee in Annal. Scient. Nat. v. 3. 265. Fifch. Mifc. Hifp. v. i. 

 loi. ^;7W. -" Leaves oblong-lanceolate, entire, fmooth ; 

 the forks of the veins villous and brown beneath. Nut ob- 



K k long." 



