The Oak Wilt Enig1na: Res
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Contents _______________ Remembering . • • • • • • • • • 3 fluercus rotundifo/ia Lam. and its forn•s in Oak Tree Hybrids in the Bejan Ext1·emadura, Spain . 3 9 Forest . 5 Oaks in Belgium: Text of a The Great Oak of the Landis Slide Presentation Made at Arboretum . 11 the Arboretum Trompenburg, July 3, 1999. S3 An Oak Wilt Primer . 14 Author's Guidelines. 59 Oaks of the Chihuahuan Desert Region . 21 .lntemational Oakr is edited and designed by Russell K. Stare, Auburn, Illinois ~bout the Cover ________________________ Our cover shot this issue features a {]. emoryi located in the Lost Canyon of the Gila River, New Mexico. Elevation 4,600 ft. Oak specimens in the Gila River area and other parts of the Chihuahuan Desert Region are highlighted in Michael Melendrez' article beginning on page 21. ©Guy & Edith sternberg Anyone interested in joining the International Membership dues are U.S. $15 per year, and Oak Society or ordering in.fomzation should benefits include publications, conferences, and contact the me11zbership office. exchanges of seeds and information among members from 30 nations on six continents. International Oak Business office: Editorial office: Membership office: Guy Sternberg, President Doug McCreary International Oak Society Starhill Forest Integrated Hardwood c/o Richard Jensen Route 1, Box 272 Range Mgt. Program Department of Biology Petersburg, Illinois 62675 University of California Saint Mary's College USA 8279 Scott Forbes Road Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 e-mail: Browns Valley, California USA [email protected] 95918 e-mail: USA [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] International Oaks by Guy Sternberg Starhill Forest Arboretum NAPPC Oak Reference Collection Petersburg, Illinois USA he fu·st paper that appears in this issue of Interna tional Oaks was condensed frotn the 54-page doc toral dissertation of our late n1en1 ber Dr. Augustin Stanciu, who died shortly after its completion. A synopsis of this research was published in 1997 by the Museum ofDeva, Ron1ania in Acta Musei Devensis, Sargetia Series Scientia Naturae XVli, as Oak Tree Hybrids in the Bejan Forest, Deva: Reactualization and Genetic Prospections. This publication was very helpful in translation. The original title of Dr. Stanciu's dissertation, completed in Romanian for the Uni versity of Transylvania in Brasov under the supervision of Professors Stanescu and Sofletea, is C er ce tari Ta xo non1i ce , Mor.folog ice si Ecologice Privind Hibrizii Genului Quercus tlin Rezervatia Stiintifica Bejan, Deva, Judetul Hunedoara. The Scientific Re serve Forest of Bejan is famous for the broad association of Augustin Stanciu (lefi) with Stelian Radu (ceo oak species and hy ler) and Guy Sternbe1g (right) in Forest Bejan, brids found there, and JudI lunedoara, Romania, June 1995. has been tnentioned in contd. on pg. 4 No.ll I Fall 2000 Page 3 International Oaks • • • contd . from pg . 3 several prev ious issues of International tnagnificent places, at least in the eyes Oaks. Probably no other forest in Europe of an oak student. We picked up contains such a rich and genetically di August in ~ traveled north to Bejan, and verse oak flora; and certainly no other tnet Dutnitru at the entrance to the person kn ew the oaks of Bejan better forest reserve. The rest of that day was than Augustin Stanciu, Romsilva 's Chi ef spent exa1nining oak tree after oak Inspector there. tree, with Augustin bursting forth with In the sutnn1er of 1995, my wife Edi e inforn1ation in Ron1anian and Stelian and 1 visited the Bejan Forest w ith doing his best to keep up in translation. Augustin, Dr. lng. Stelian Radu, and for In all, we saw e ig ht di ffe rent est guard D Lnn itru Pirlia. T he trip native oak species, and hybrids of 1nost began with an all-day ride of thetn, in this ren1arkable forest fron1 the airport of Bucharest north area of less than o ne square mi I e . through Ploiesti to Brasov, then west We knew at the titne that Augustin past Risnov and Bran, the fan1ou s home was not well. Erika to ld us in a letter the of the legendary Vlad Dracula. We following March that he was even using passed through the ancient citi es of extract from yucca plants to attetnpt a S ibiu and Sebes, tucked into the cure. But with the helpfu l oversight of Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, his two supervising professors, then turned north for a slight detour Victor Stanescu and N icolae Sofl etea, he through hi storic Alba Julia. That night con1pleted his di ssertation before he we found ourselves in Deva, at the hotne died. It was accepted in 1997 by the of Steli an and Anette Radu. During the Ministerullnvatatnantului at Brasov in next few days we took sightseeing trips fulfilhnent of his degree. to the MedievaJ citadels of Hunedoara Augustin and Erika had presented one and Deva, the 1000-year-o ld church at of the original copies to n1e, together Hateg, and t he Roman ruins of with a rough translation, and it is sum Sarmizegetusa. We also botanized in marized here in Eng li sh. We are Retezat National Reserve and at the Na honored to share it with you now, both tional Arboretu1n at Sin1eria, for which for its valuable insights into oak Dr. Radu served as Director. hybridization and as a posthLnnous trib But then we saw something that eas ute to the enthusiastn, knowledge, and il y was the equal of all of these other perseverance of Dr. Augustin Stanciu. Page 4 No.ll/ Fall 2000 International Oaks by Dr. Augustin Stanciu Advisors: Profs. Victor Stanescu and Nicolae Sofletea he Bejan Forest located near Deva in the Western Transylvania Region of Romania, has been well known since the last century as a unique ecological reserve sup porting nurnerous hybrids of indigenous oaks. The literature cites the fo ll owing oak hybrids in the Bejan Forest: • Q. Xtabajdiana Simonk. (Q. .frainetto x Q. po/yca1pa) • Q. Xh(j'ae Simonk. (Q.frainetto X Q. petraea) • Q. xdacica Borb. (Q. polyca1pa x Q.jJubescens) • Q. xhaynaldiana Simonk. (Q. .frainetto X Q. robur) • Q. xkerneri Simonk. (Q. pubescens x Q. robur) • Q. xbudensis Borb. (Q. pubescen · x Q. virgiliana) In addition, some varieties of these hybrids are also n1entioned: • Q. xdacica var. tiszae Sin1onk. et fekete • Q. xhaynaldiana var. hez?f!elii Simonk. • Q. xkerneri var. devens is (S in1 onk.) Otu· investigations, petfon11ed in 1988 1989 and 1990 revealed a series of new hybrids and varieties not previously recorded in the Bejan Forest. This is not surprising, since no less than eight of the nine indigenous oak tree species of Romania occur in an area coverin g only 200 ha, providing many opportunities for intetfettilization. The newly identified taxa are: Q. xrosacea Besch st. (Q. robur x Q. jJetrea) Q. xrosacea var. petrae[jor1nis Beldie. Q. xrosacea var ..f eketei Simonk. Q. Xrosacea var.jahnii Sin1onk. contd. on pg. 6 No .11 I Fall 2000 Page 5 International Oaks • • • contd . from pg. 5 Q.xpseudoda/echan1pii Ctrtz. (Q.rohur x Q. da!echan1pii) Q. xpseudodalechampii var. cretzoui CT\ L ~ Pascovschi .0 c L ~ Q.xcsatoi Borb.(Q.robur X Q. + \/) polycarpa) ..s:: ·+-- "0 Q. xdiverstfrons Borb. (Q. petrea X Q. w o(5 > virgiliana)) ::J ~ Q.xcazanensis Pascovschi (Q. :J) dalechan1pii x Q. virgi/iana) Q. xturae (Q. frain etto x Q. petraea) in the Bejan The differences between these new Forest near Deva. Romania (tree #695-5). hybrids have been established, in gen conclusion is reinforced by the observa eral, using the diagnostic criteria in Flora tion that there is a consistent Jnorpho Romaniei (Flora RSR) and Monografia logical stability an1ong these hybrids. Stejarilor din Ron1ania. For hybrids be Thus, the following hybrids have been tween the Ses sil~flora e Series and Q. provision a] ly described: virgiliana, the diagnoses are original. For • Q. petraea X Q. dalechan1pii instance, in Q. xdiversifrons, leaves are • Q. petraea X Q. polycarpa intermediate between the two parent spe • Q. dalechan1pii X Q. polycarpa cies, but closer to Q. petraea (not having alternate characters). The shape of cup The characteristics of the leaves of scales also shows traits of Q. petraea, in these hybrids are i ntennediate between addition to Q. virgiliana: short peduncles those of the parent trees (leaf shape, lo (0.5-0.8 cn1) and no sessile cups. bation, forn1, etc.), or closely resemble one Since oak species such as Q. petraea, of thetn (co ri aceousness and shin iness), Q. dalechan1pii and Q. pozycarpa are in the same case being true with fru its (cups direct contact in the Forest, but the For partially flat and partially globular). How est itself is somewhat isolated, we believe ever, for all of these hybrids, diagnoses the hybrids we have investigated are true are provisional and should be supple hybrids and not subspecies or vari eties, mented by subsequent investigations of as sometitnes has been proposed. This n1aterial derived fron1 other trees. Pa e 6 No.ll/ Fall 2000 International Oaks A special place in the study of Bejan Q. xdacica var. tiszae Simonk. et Fekete Forest is occupied by hybrids resulting (Q. polycarpa X Q. pubescens) from repeated backcrossing, and the Q. xszechenyana Borb. (Q.frainetto x Q. double or multiple hybrids confirm the pubescens), cited by A. Savulescu (un very remarkable ability to hybridize within published). tnixed populations of local oak trees. This has produced the hybrids between Q. Another problen1 resulting from the petraea and Q. xrosacea, between Q. hybridization of oak trees in the Bejan xtufae and Q ..frainetto (introgressive ), and Forest involves the con1binations with between Q.