22 LEPIDOBALANUS.
oiliafe; perianth cup-sbapod, with 5—6 obtuse, slightly pilose segments; stamens 8 to 16;
the anthers gUibrous, broadly ovate. Ih?mie injlorescence few-flowered, short, erect; styles
3 to 5, linear, reciirved. Acorns solitary; the cupulo flat, small, thin, covering only
the base of the glans; the scales ovate acute; their bases sericeous and connate; their
apices free, membranous, sub-sericeous or glabrous; fflans globular, smooth, 1 in. in
d i a m e t e r . — G a t 2776 A and B; PI. Asiat. Rarior. ii. 56. t. 174; Miq. in Ann. Mus.
Lugd. Bat. i. 110; Brandis For. Flora 479. t. 64; Wenzig Jahrh. Bot. dart. Bcrl. iv. 219;
Gamhle Ind. Timbers 382 ; Hook Fl. Brit. Ind. v. 601.—obtusifoUa and Cassum, Don Prod-
FI. Nep. 56, 57.
The North-Western Himalaya from Afghanistan to Nepal, at elevations of from 6,000 to
12 000 feet. On the inner (absent from the outer) ranges of the North-Eastern Himalaya,—
Calcutta Bot. Gard. Collectors; Bhotan (Woollaokka at 7,500 U^i)—Griffith^ {Km Distrih.)
4553 ; Hills towards Bhotan,—(?. Mann.
This is a gregarious, deciduous species. It is usually rather a small tree with tortuous,
gnarled branches, but occasionally it attains a height of 80 or even 100 feet, and has then
a fine clear stem. It varies greatly as to foliage, and in some of its smaller states it is, in
tlie absence of acorns, with difSculty to be distinguished from Q. Bex, Linn,, with which, in
point of fact, Griffith and others have confused it. The diagnostic mark given by Sir D.
Brandis (I.e.) is the best for leaf specimens; and that mark is the zoell-marhed bifurcation of
the main nerves far short of the margin of the leaf in this species, whereas in Q. Ilex the nerves
run to the margin of the leaf without bifurcating.
Fruitless specimens of what I take to be this species were collected by Dr. Gr. Watt on
Sirhoiferar (a mountain on the Naga-Burman frontier) at an elevation of 10,000 feet {Herb.
Watt. 5980.)
PLATE IbX.— Q. se7neearpifoUa, Smith. 1, branch with male spikes; 2, branch with ripe
ivmi,—of natural sise ; 3, male flower: enlarged.
2 . QUERCUS SKKEATA, 'ii; DC. Prod. xvi. ii. 51.
Young shoots sofily pubescent, but speedily glabrous. Leaves in. old specimens on sletider,
rather long, petioles; shining, thinly coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, serrate ;
the teetli long, setaceous; base entire rounded; adult leaves glabrous on both surfaces,
with occasionally tufts of hairs in the axils of the nerves; young leaves softly sericeous
below with a few adpressed hairs above; main lateral nerves 10 to 15 pairs, rather
prominent, passing at an acute angle from the midrib into the marginal teeth of which
they form the set^; length of blade 3 to 6 in., breadth 1-6 to 2 in.; petiole 1 to 1-5
in. long; stipules oblong, piloso along the midrib externally, from -5 in. to 1 in. long.
Jlule spikes elongated; the rachis tomentose; bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, pubescent, much
larger than the 5 or fi-lobed, pubescent perianth; anthers about 10, glabrous. Female
flowers on short axillary spikes; styles filiform. Acorns solitary or in pairs, sessile or
nearly so; eupulehaxA^ woody, embracing the whole of the young and the lower threefourths
of the ripe glans; sub-hemispherical; 6 in. deep and from -75 in. to 1 in. in
diameter; the scales numerous, much imbricate, not adpressed, free, elongate (25 in.),
ovate-lanceolate, hoary, and with several vertical ridges outside; the lower rows much
reflexed, the upper less so; glms sub-globose, apiculate, not much exceeding the cupule,
smooth when x\Y>B.— Wensig Jahrh. Bot. Gari. Berl.iv. 221.— ^. serrata, Thunbg. Brandis
LEPIDOBALANUS. 23
For. Flora 486; Hook. PI. Br. Ind. v. 601: Gamble Man. Ind. Timb. 38i. —<2. Bozburghii,
Endl. Suppl. 4. 28.— Q. polyantha, Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 2771 A and B.
Kumaon, Nepal,—TWcA; Sikhim,—J". J». ZZoo/cer ; Khasia and Naga Hills at elevations
of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, many collectors; Toungyi in the Shan Hills at an elevation
of 5,000 h&t,—General H. Gollett.
A medium-sized deciduous tree very common in the Khasia Hills, much less so in
Sikhun. General Collett's discovery of this species in the Shan Hills leads to the supposition
that its distribution may extend to the hill ranges of Southern China.
The variety Boxburghii differs from the typical Japanese form of Q. serrata chiefly in
having the scales of its cupules ovate-lanceolate instead of linear, and in also having
broader stipules. Sir D. Brandis in his Forest Flora remarks that Roxburgh's drawing
of the plant, called by him {Fl. Bid. iii. 674) Q. serrata, Thunb., is not this plant
at all, but probably Castanopsis indica, A.DO. I entirely agree with this remark; and a
])erusal of Roxburgh's description of his Q. serrata shows that, while it does not fit
Q. serrata, Thunbg., it answers very well for the young shoots and leaves (Roxburgh
had seen no fruit) of C. indica, A.DO. The probability of this identification is increased
by the fact that (unless this explanation be correct) Roxburgh's Flora contains no
description of C. indica, A.DO., although it is one of the commonest trees of the
region known to Roxburgli as Sylhet, and from which he described so many plants.
In what appear to be young leaf specimens of this from the Khasia Hills, the leaves are
linear-oblong or obovate with very short petioles.
P L A T E 16.—s e r r a t a , Thunbg., var. Roxburghii, DC. 1, branch witli ripe fruif;
2, branch with male spikes; 3, single male spike; 4, ripe fruit; 5, glans,—all of natural
size; 6, male flower; 7, stamen: enlarged.
3 . QUERCUS DILÍTATA, Lindl. in Wall Cat. 2785.
Young pai-ts glabrescent, ultimately all parts quite glabrous. Leaves sub-coriaceous,
ovate-lanceolate, oblong to ovate-rotund, acutc, rarely sub-obtuse; the edges entire or
spinose-dentate; base rounded or sub-cordate; main nerves 8 to 12 pairs, not prominent
and not bifurcate; reticulations minute, distinct; length 2 to 3 in., breadth 1 to 1-5 in. •
petiole -25 in. or less ; stipules lanceolate, -25 in. long. Male spikes slender, the flowers
sparse; bracts ovate-acute; perianth obtusely 6-cleft, hairy externally; anthers 4 to 8,
glabrous, apiculate. Female inflorescence sYioti, few-flowered; styles 3 to 5, linear-clavate.'
Acorns generally solitary, sub-sessile; cupule hemispheric, nearly -5 in. deep and rather
more in diameter, embracing the lower half of the glans; its scales closely adpressed,
woody, ovate-lanceolate, connato and pubescent below, free and sub-glabrous at tlie very
tip; glans ovoid, apiculate, smooth, brown, twice (sometimes nearly two and a lialf times)
longer than tlie c u p u l e .—J U . Mini. Bot. 346. t. 8i. fig. 2; {sub. nom. dealbata)- DC.
Prod. xvi. ii. 41; Bra?idis For. Flora 483; Gamble Ind. Timb. 383; Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind
v. 6 0 2 ; Wcizig in Jahrh. Bot. Gart. Berl. i v. 2 2 0 . - Q. floribunda, Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 2 7 7 3
Eastern Afghanistan; Safedkoh; Suliman Range; the outer Himalayas as iar east
as Kumaon ; at elevations of from about 4,000 to 9,000 feet.
Tliis is a gregarious, evergreen tree, sometimes attaining a height of 80 feet. Tlie
leaves vary a good deal, those of young shoots often having spiny edges. They are
always glabrous when adult, and neariy so when young. The glabrescent forms of
Q. smnecarplfoha resemble this, but ai-e distinguishable by their boldly bifurcatin- nerves
aud rather more rigid texture. °
AKN. HOY, BOT. GAUD. CALCUITA, VOL. IL