2S9 PYRUS COMMUNIS. 



pcrmanoiit ; to whicli Mr. London added several others, the result of cultivation, 

 and whi<li he considers as more or less accidental or temporary. To these we 

 have subjouM'd a irroiip of wild pfurs. with hoary loaves, which may he regarded 

 as varieties or races, tliouuli coiinnonly treated as species: 



1. P. c. ACHK.\s. 77*6' Sp'nnj-lcdrcd Pcar-trac. This variety may he known 

 by its spiny, ovate, acuminate, entire leaves, with loui? petioles. The leaves and 

 the tul)e of the eiilyx are woolly, when young, hut afterwards glabrous. Pome 

 with its hasal part long. 



2. P. c. pvK.\sTEK. The Wild Acerb-frniied Penr-tree^ distinguished by its 

 spiny branches, roundish, acute, sharjily-serrated leaves, glabrous even when 

 yoMiiir. as i.s the tube of the calyx. Pome rounded at the base, gritty, sour, bit- 

 ter, and harsh to tiie taste. 



3. P. c. FOLUS VARiEG.^Tis. Varicgatcd-lcoved Pear-tree. 



4. P. c. FRUCTU VARiEG.\TO. Vuru'STdfcd-frinted Pear-tree, the skin of the fruit 

 of which is variegated with yellow and white. 



5. P. c. SANGUiNOLE.NTA. T/it S(nigiilnole Pear-tree, the flesh of the fruit of 

 which is red or reddish ; and, though small and gritty, is edible when ripe. 



6. P. c. FLORE PLENo. Doitble-Jlowcred Pear-tree ; Poirier de V Armhiie, of the 

 French, distinguished for its double flowers. 



7. P. c. JASPiDA. Tlie Jasper-barked Pear-tree ; Bon Chretien d boisjaspe, of 

 the French, having the bark of the wood striped with yellow. 



8. P. c. SATiVA. The Spineless cidtivated Pear-tree, from which originated the 

 numerous sub-varieties growing in gardens, with edible fruit. Their number at 

 present amount to several thousand, and it is to be regretted that the speciality 

 of this work will not permit us to treat of them in detail, after the manner of 

 describing the different varieties of the common cherry. 



9. P. c. SALViFOLiA, (P. salvifoUa, De Candolle,) Sage-leaved or Anrelian Pear- 

 tree, with thick branches; tomentose buds; entire lanceolate leaves, tomentose 

 all over when young, but glabrous on the upper surface when adult. Its fruit is 

 thick, long, and suitable for making perry. It occurs both wild and cultivated, 

 about Aurelia, in France. 



10. P. c. NIVALIS (P. 7iivalis, De Candolle.) Snowy-leaved Pear-tree, with 

 leaves oval, entire, obtuse, white and silky beneath; corymbs terminal; fruit 

 globose, very acid, except =vhen ripe, and beginning to decay, when it becomes 

 sweet. It is a native of the Austrian Alps. 



11. P. c. SALicFFOLiA (P. saUcifoUa, De Candolle.) Willow -leaved Pear-tree. 

 The buds of this variety are whitely tomentose; the leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 acute, entire, hoary, particularly upon the under surface, with their disks three 

 times as long as the petioles ; the flowers occur upon short pedicels, disposed in 

 corymbs. It is a native of Siberia, Caucasus, and Persia, and is generally 

 accompanied by the Crataegus oxycantha, and Prunus spinosa. 



12. P. c. AMYGDALiFORMis, (P. amy gdalijormis , De Candolle,) Almond-shaped 

 Pear-tree, the branches of which are spiny ; the buds tomentose ; the leaves 

 oblong, acute, entire, tomentose all over when young, but glabrous on the upper 

 surface when adult, with disks six times longer than the petioles ; the flowers 

 occur in corymbs. It grows wild in rough places in Provence, Dauphiny, and 

 Languedoc, in France, and when cultivated, forms a tree with a very irregular, 

 picturesque head, with many of the side-branches sweeping the ground. 



Geography and History. The common pear-tree is indigenous to Europe, 

 western Asia, the Himalayas, and to China ; but not to Africa nor America. It 

 is found wild in most of the counties of Britain, as far north as Forfarshire ; on 

 the continent of Europe, from Sweden to the Mediterranean ; and in Asia, as far 

 east as China and Japan. It is always found on a dry soil, and more frequently 

 on plains than on hills or mountains; and solitary, or in small groups, rather 



