OAKS AT ALDENHAM. 163 



of this oak is Sargent's " Trees and Shrubs," vol. ii. p. 121, and it 

 is thence that the following description is drawn. 



This species is a native of Hempstead County, Arkansas, where 

 it is found in low woods at Fulton, and on rolling sandhills four miles 

 north of that place. Though fairly common in that particular district, 

 it seems quite local, and has not so far been discovered elsewhere. 

 Unless drawn up by crowding in a forest it rarely attains a height 

 of more than 12 metres when standing in the open, and is therefore 

 negligible from the timberman's standpoint. 



The leaves are broadly obovate, slightly three-lobed or dentate at 

 the wide apex, and cuneate at the base. The fruit is -solitary or in 

 pairs on stout glabrous very short peduncles. Acorns are 6 to 8 mm. 

 long by 14 to 15 mm. across, their base only being enclosed in the 

 flat cup. This species most resembles Q. marylandica (Muench.) 

 in its leaves, and Q. nigra L. in its fruit. 



Q. X audleyensis (A. Henry). — This is a hybrid oak, whose 

 parentage has been pronounced somewhat doubtfully to be Q. Ilex 9. 

 and Q. sessili flora <J. It is growing at Audley End, in Essex, the 

 seat of Lord Braybrooke, and is, I imagine, at any rate as a fully 

 developed tree, a unique specimen, though young progeny derived 

 from it may be in existence. The only place where an account of it 

 can be found is in " Trees of Great Britain," vol. v. p. 1291, and 

 of that account this is a mere shortened rechauffe. For a botanical 

 description I must refer readers to that admirable work. It is sub- 

 evergreen, 86 ft. or more in height, and over 11 ft. in girth. Some 

 of the leaves are entire, like those of Q. Ilex, and others lobed, after 

 the manner of Q. sessiliflora, and the venation corresponds to that 

 in both those species. 



I neither have it, nor any oak resembling it at Aldenham, and 

 my only excuse for mentioning it even perfunctorily in this article 

 is that Professor Bayley Balfour has been good enough to have 

 cuttings of it struck for me, and that I fully intend, if I can 

 obtain wood, to have it grafted by the time these lines are in print. 

 Plate 327 in Mr. Elwes' book shows a grand, well-balanced tree 

 in winter time, and almost denuded of foliage ; unfortunately, through 

 lack of pruning in youth, the main stem has been allowed to fork 

 at a height which appears from the picture to be about 12 or 14 ft. 

 Q. x Bebbiana (= alba x macrocarpa), see p. 161. 



Q. bicolor (Willdenow) , Swamp White Oak. — This is another of 

 the Eastern American White Oaks, which is very rarely to be seen 

 in cultivation in England. The tallest of our specimens, acquired 

 at the same time (1902) and from the same nursery (Muskau) as the 

 above-mentioned Q. alba, is 17 ft. high, well grown, and apparently 

 quite healthy, though Mr. Elwes writes : " None of the specimens 

 which we have seen look very thriving." I cannot now recall what 

 their condition was when Mr. Elwes paid me a visit and made 

 notes of the oaks which he afterwards described in his book, but he 

 appears not to have noticed our Q. bicolor, which were then labelled 

 Q. tomenlosa discolor. 



