double-flowered varieties now in cultivation are, however, 
of Japanese origin, the first of them (subsequently described 
as Oerasus Sieboldtit, Carr.) having been imported from 
Japan by Robert Fortune in 1864, The tree flowers with 
us in April, before the unfolding of the leaves. 
Descr.—A tree, attaining considerable height in its 
native country, with obliquely erect, brownish branches, 
which when young are more or less pubescent, but soon 
become glabrous. Leaves unfolding after the flowers, 
elliptic or somewhat obovate or ovate, rather abruptly 
contracted into a long and slender point, rounded at the 
base, sharply and closely cuspidate-serrate, 2-6 in. long, 
1_3 in. broad, with 6-11 nerves on each side; petiole 1-13 
in. long, with two glands in the upper part; stipules 
narrow-linear or filiform, with gland-tipped fimbria, 
caducous. Flowers in 8—5-flowered corymbs on very short — a 
or long peduncles; peduncles surrounded at the base by 
rather large, often purplish bud-scales; bracts, at least in 
the distinctly peduncled corymbs, herbaceous, often large, 
fimbriate or fimbriate-laciniate ; pedicels up to over 1 in. 
long. eceptacle funnel-shaped. Sepals ovate or lanceo- — = 
late, as long as the receptacle, entire. Petals white or 
rose-coloured, broad, elliptic or obovate-rotundate, emargi- 
nate, 4% in. long, spreading. Stamens and the glabrous 
style reaching to the middle of the petals. Drupe of the _ 
shape and size of a small pea, slightly compressed, black, | 
with scanty flesh.—Ovrto Starr. 
Fig. 1, base of a leaf; 2, tip of a leaf; 3, section of flower, with the petals — 
_ removed; 4 and 5, stamens :—all enlarged. ee 
