-3- 



monticola, flexilis, and Lambertiana frequently cross over with one another. That I 

 do not believe, but I believe that other than those mentioned, there are many good 



varieties which, because of a scarcity of complete specimens, one placed in the 



bed of these varieties. I see now that we do not at all know our European oaks, 

 birches, elms, spruces, firs, larches, etc., and that each of the so-called species, 

 which some botanists still want to draw together, their number 12 entirely constant in 

 bark, leaf, fruit, etc. has various Racen. Why in America, which is so much larger, 

 with itl is travelled only on small trails, are there not ten times more varieties 

 than one assumes. I have here an oak from American seed, which I received as amygdal - 

 iformis. It is definitely a completely distinct kind. It is similar to the Prinos 

 in the leaf-contour, but the leaves, even though paper thin, are not soft but very hard, 

 with it the underside is covered with blue-gray hoar, with prominant nerves of all 

 kinds. What is called alba here definitely belongs to very different species and it 

 would please me very much if I could have good, definitely collected in America speci- 

 mens, naturally seed or seedlings would also be most welcome. I have this year grown 

 auercus heterophylla from the Vereinsgarten in Prague. The seedlings resemble each 

 other and are completely identical, which probably is not the case with all hybrids, 

 e. g. not with Pyores Pollwylleriana. but probably also is no proof against the hybrid 

 nature, because Geum intermedium give very similar seedlings. Qf your elms just from 



| Americans more has come up than from fulva , whose seed looked harder, however, enough 

 of this. 



Does Western America have no elm at all? I surmise that in U. fulva two kinds are 

 represented, according to the specimens which I saw in the Vienna and Berlin herbar- 

 iums and it seems to me that we have both in cultivation in Europe. One form which 

 is in the Gardens as U. campestris fol. stropurpureis . definitely is an Ulmus fulva , 

 because it has fructified here. A different variety with larger tendril-leaved, 

 whiteish-yellow shoots, which Koch calls elliptica (allegedly from the Caucasus), at 

 any rate looks more like the Caucasian varieties, the montana even more like the Himal- 

 ayan elm ( erosa) , is however according to the smaller fruit with rust-red hairy kernel, 

 likewise a form belinging to fulva and very definitely not European. More recently in 

 Germany a very interesting oak as alba, is being cultivated, which appears to me to 

 be an Oregon type. At any rate it belongs to the genuine Robur group and is very simi- 

 to the pedunculata, however, the principal nerves of the white-gray, hoar covered, 

 smooth underside, are colored carmine red. In Europe there definitely is no such oak, 

 because I also am familiär with the forma of the pedunculata from Hungary, Italy and 

 their hybrids with Conferta, and there is nothing among them which in any way resembled 



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