450 WOODY PLANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



somewhat thorny. The trunk is covered with a very dark red- 

 dish or bronze green bark, resembling that of the cherry tree ; 

 the smaller branches of a reddish bronze color. The footstalks 

 of the leaves are short, reddish, with often two glands on the 

 raised border near the expansion of the leaf. The leaves are 

 broad ovate, oblong oval or pear-shaped, tapering suddenly to 

 a long point, and edged with rounded, double serratures, with 

 a minute, shining, callous point at the extremity of each ; smooth 

 but conspicuously impressed with furrows over the veins above; 

 pale, and somewhat downy along the mid-rib and at the axils of 

 the veins beneath. The flowers come out in April or May, in 

 close, crowded bunches of 3 or 4 each, near the ends of last 

 year's branches. The fruit is roundish ovoid, somewhat flat- 

 tened, and with a furrow on one side, reddish orange, when 

 ripe, with a yellowish pulp, and a thick, leathery skin. The 

 stone is much flattened and bordered with a thin border on all 

 sides ; kernel flattened, very bitter. The fruit, which is often 

 nearly an inch in diameter, is sometimes sweet and pleasant, 

 but usually rather austere, and used chiefly for preserving in 

 sugar; but much improved, both in size and flavor, according 

 to Dr. Darlington, by cultivation. Few attempts of this kind 

 have been made. If they have already been rewarded by strik- 

 ing improvement, what might we not expect from a well con- 

 ducted series of experiments, such as those of Van Mons, con- 

 tinued for many years ? No native fruit promises better in 

 this respect, as it has a wider range than almost any other 

 North American plant. 



Introduced species. 

 Wild Bullace Tree. P. insititia. L. 



A bush or small tree, found on the banks of Charles River, 

 in Cambridge, by road-sides at Cohasset, and in other places in 

 the vicinity of Boston. 



The shorter, lateral branches, often end in a thorn. The 

 leaves are an inch or an inch and a half long, generally obovate, 

 or ovate-lanceolate, acute, tapering at base, serrate, downy be- 

 neath. The flowers and leaves come from different buds, by 



