Tas. 6519. 
PRUNUS opivaricata. 
Native of the Caucasus. 
Nat. Ord. Rosacem.—Tribe PRUNER. ‘ 
Genus Prunus, Tourn.; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. vol. i. p. 609.) 
Prunus divaricata; arbor parva, fere inermis, a basi ramosa, coma rotundata, 
ramis valde elongatis divaricatis inferioribus horizontalibus fere prostratis, 
ramulis glabris gracillimis, foliis planta florente elliptico-lanceolatis acuminatis 
costa nervisque subtus tomentosis glabratisve demum late ovatis ovato-corda- 
tisve acuminatis serrulatis glabris, gemmis floriferis 1-floris, pedunculis brevibus 
glabris, floribus 4-poll. diam., petalis rotundatis v. obovatis concavis, ovariis 1-2, 
drupa ellipsoidea v. globosa flava, putamine levi, ellipsoideo utrinque obtuso 
compresso sed turgido, 
P. divaricata, Ledeb. Ind. Sem. Hort. Dorpat. 1824, Suppl. p. 6; Fl. Alt. vol. ii. 
p- 211, in nota ; Flor. Ross. vol. ii. p. 53 Ic. Fl. Ross. t. 13; DC. Prodr. 
vol. ii. p. 534; C. Koch, Dendrolog. vol. i. p. 97; C. A. Meyer, Verz. Pf. 
Caue. p. 165. 
This has been for many years one of the most conspicuous 
spring ornaments of the Royal Gardens, where it forms a 
dwarf tree, standing to the west of the Cactus House, near 
the fine specimen of Pinus Coulteri, and so covered with 
white flowers in March or April (according to the season) 
as to appear as if snowed over. The flowers appear with 
_ the half-developed leaves, but have never been succeeded by 
fruit. Whether this should be considered as anything 
more than the wild form of the Myrobalan Plum, P. cerasi- 
fera, Ehr. (see tab. 5934), has been doubted by the excellent 
observer C. Koch, as I have stated under the latter plant ; 
and, indeed, the characters whereby most of the native 
plums are separated, are not of very much moment. With 
regard to P. divaricata, however, its leaves, when full 
grown, broadening at the base, and appearing with its 
smaller flowers, and its fruit not being intruded at the 
base, together with its remarkable habit, would appear to 
constitute sufficiently marked diagnostic characters. The 
petals which are almost orbicular in the Kew specimens are 
more obovate in native ones from the Caucasus, collected 
OCTOBER Ist, 1880. 
