It, 1. THE OAK. 125 
belonging to the Northern and Middle States. I have found 
eleven in Massachusetts, growing in considerable numbers. I 
have probably overlooked several, but they must be stragglers. 
‘T'wo only are natives of Britain; eight of France, (Flore Fran- 
gaise,) though the number is increased by some botanists to 
fourteen. T'wenty-four species were found by Humboldt and 
Bonpland in Mexico; half that number have been found in the 
temperate regions of India, and sixteen in Java, (Loudon, III, 
1722.') The oak is found in the northern regions of Africa, but 
is abundant only in the temperate regions of both continents, 
avoiding equally the extremes of heat and cold. 
The most natural arrangement of the oaks, seems to be that 
adopted by the elder Michaux. He divided them into two 
Sections, according to the character of the leaves: the first, 
comprising those species whose leaves are destitute of flexible 
points or bristles; the second, those, the segments of whose 
leaves are mucronate, or terminate in bristles. A very import- 
ant difference is also observed in the length of time required 
for the blossom to bring its fruit to maturity. Most of the oaks 
of Europe blossom in the spring, and mature their fruit the same 
season; and this 1s the case with those of the American oaks, 
which belong to the first section. In those included in the sec- 
ond, on the contrary, the fertile blossom makes its appearance 
in the axil of the leaves on the new shoot, and remains a 
whole year without change. In the spring of the second year, 
after a new shoot has been produced, and new barren and fer- 
tile flowers have made their appearance, it is, probably for the 
first time, fecundated, and then begins to increase, and brings its 
fruit to maturity eighteen months after its first appearance. In 
this case, the fruit seems not to be axillary, as the leaves of 
the previous year, in whose axils it grew, have fallen. 
Most of the trees which belong to the first section, possess 
greater value, on account of the excellent properties of their 
timber, than those of the second. 
