Chevy, 
j. Prunus L. 
Slender small trees or tree-like shrubs with alternate simple leaves. 
Flowers in racemes or axillary umbels. Calyx 5-parted, the tube campanulate 
or turbinate. Petals 5, obovate, white, inserted with the stamens on the 
margin of the calyx-tube. Stamens mumerous. Ovary superior, l-chambered. 
Fruit a drupe. 
Flowers in racemes 8-10 cm. long, terminating 
short lateral branches; teeth of the leaf-margins ee 
curving forward, pronglike ). Pe virginiana — 
— 
Flowers in axillary umbel-like racemes 1-2 om. long; 
teeth of leaf-margins closely appressed and appear- 
ing to arise from the sinus 2. Pe emarginata Bee 
1. P. virginiana L. var. demissa (Nut toga) Torrey. Western Choke Cherry. 
A treelike shrub or ee tree, the stems erect, 4=5 m. tall or 
more, the branches rather sharply ascending, mature bark grey, roughened by 
short reddish vertical fissures which give a mottled a arance, the outer 
bark not separable, the inner bark with a distinot flavor of peach=-pits but 
not_at all bitter, branchlets green, becoming mahogany color, glabrous; buds 
ovate, acute, 4-5 mm. long, glabrous, dull; leaves dark green, the blades 
5-15 cm. long, rather leathery, especially in drier situations, elliptical 
but somewhat broader above the middle, obtuse at the base, shortly acuminate 
at the apex, upper surface glabrous, the lower much paler, thinly hairy along 
the veins or glabrous the margins finely toothed, the teeth shaped like smal] 
prongs curving to the apex of the leaf, petioles 1-1.5 cm. lons, bearing two 
glands at the base of the blade but on the petiole, stipules linear, quickly 
droppinz; flowers showy, in racemes 8-10 cme long or more, terminating short 
lateral branchlets borne on second year wood; pedicels 4-5 mm. long, calyx 
lobes hemispherical, thin, scarcely 1 mm. long; petals white, orbicular, 3.5 
mne in diameter; stamens 3 mm. long; fruit globose-ovate, 7-11 mm. long, 6=8 
mme wide, a very deep cherry-red, pit ovate, rather acute at the apex, but 
little flattened laterally. 
Occasional throughout our region usually below 4000 feet, growing on 
open ledges in the forest, or open gravelly slides, or at the base of talus 
slopes, or along roadways at lower elevations. 
_ Vvare melanocarpa (A. Nels.) Sargt. Similar to and often growing with 
the typical form but the leaves glabrous beneath and the fruit black, globose, 
6-8 mm. in diameter, the pit obtuse at bosh ends, laterally flattened. ——ee 
—~ —pThis variety has a quite characteristic aspect in fruit, the branches often 
being heavily laden, The pit characters herein mentioned do not appear to be 
constant. An infusion made from the dried bark of this tree is said to have 
been used by the natives in treatment of coushs and colds. 
Gut Narkeli, de Cope. 
