140 • Rhodora [June 



in its new station. Possibly, too, this note may bring forth information 

 from other herbaria concerning this vagrant; specimens of which have 

 been placed in the Herbarium of the New England Botanical Club. 

 In this pleasant task I have had the advice and assistance of Mr. 

 J. Francis Macbride, who, in connection with his own technical and 

 critical studies in the revision of the Boraginaccae at the Gray Her- 

 barium, has carefully determined all the collections which I have 

 mentioned. 



Dorchester, Massachusetts. 



PRUNUS VIRGINIANA THE CORRECT NAME OF THE 

 (HOKE CHERRY. 



M. L. Fernald. 



The Choke ('berry of the northern United States and Canada, 

 characterized by having the comparatively short leaves with sharp 

 fine serrations and the crimson fruit in comparatively short racemes, 

 has in recent years been generally known as Priam* virginiana L. 

 or, by those Who treat it as belonging to a separate genus, Padus 

 virginiana (L.) Mill. ; while the more southern Black or Rum Cherry, 

 having longer leaves with short incurved blunter teeth and more 

 elongated racemes of purplish-black cherries on purplish pedicels, 

 has been generally known as Primus scrotina Ehrh. Very recently 

 however the Choke Cherry has appeared in American literature 1 

 under the name Padus nana (l)u Roi) Roemer, while the Black Cherry 

 is called Padtu virginiana (L.) Mill. This change from established 

 usage in the interpretation of tin- specific name rirginiana based upon 

 Prunvx virginiana arises, apparently, through a somewhat natural 

 misinterpretation as to exactly what Linnaeus had. The Linnean 

 'treatment of Prunus virginiana was as follows: 

 'PRUNUS fioribus racemosis, foliis deciduis basi antice J'irginiana. 



glandulosis. 

 Cerasus sylvestris, fructu nigricante in racemis longis 



pendulis phytolaccae instar congestis. Qron. virg. 54. 



Roy. lugdb. 537. 



1 Britten in Rritton iV Brown, 111. Fl. ii. 329 (1913). 



