326 PVKOS AUCUPARIA. 



The flowers, which put forth in May and Juno, occur in Iarf,'c wljite corymbs, of 

 an ahnoml-hkc scent, and arc succeeded l)y brilhant .scarlet, or jiurplish berries 

 of a sour or bitterish taste. They usually begin to ripen in ^^eptember, and often, 

 remain upon tlie trees until the Ibllowing spring. 



Varitties. Tiic varieties of the mouniain ash are as follows: 



1. P. A. KKCCTu M'TKA, Loudou. Ydluw-fiuUvd Mountain As/i, which may be 

 continued by grafting. 



2. P. A. FOLiis VARiEGATis, Loudou. VdiUgaled-lcavefl Mountain Ash. 



3. P. A. FAsTiGiATA, Loudou. FastigUUe-bvatiched Mou/itain Ask, having rigid 

 and upright branches, 



I. P. A. AMKiucANA. American Mountain Ash \ Pyrus americana, of l)e Can- 

 dolle and Loudon; and Sorbus ame?ica?ia, var. |^, of Michaux. The leaflets of 

 this race are acute, almost e(|iially serrated, glabrous, as is the petiole. Although 

 a native of Canada, Newfoundland, Labrador, and the most northern parts of 

 America, it closely resembles the European variety, being, apparently, a more 

 robust-growing tree, with larger leaves, shining above, and smooth beneath. The 

 young shoots are of a dark purplish colour, and are thought to be more tender 

 than those of the common cultivated variety. The fruit is of a dark purplish- 

 red, approaching to the colour of copper, and like the European variety, is of a 

 globose form. This tree may be propagated from seeds, or by grafting on the 

 Pyrus aucuparia ; and, from the brilliant colour of the fruit, and the large size of 

 the bunches, it well deserves a place in collections. 



5. P. A. MicROCARPA. Sniall-fiuited Mountain Ash ; Pyrus microcarpa, of De 

 Candolle and Loudon ; and Sorbus aucuparia, var. , of Michaux. This variety, 

 which is indigenous to the mountainous parts of the United States, particularly 

 to the whole r^nge of the Alleghanies, may be distinguished from the preceding, 

 by the young branches being covered with a dark-brown gloss, and by having 

 small scarlet berries. The leaflets are unequally incisely serrated, with the teeth 

 tipped with a bristle-like mucro. 



Geography and History. The Pyrus aucuparia is a native of most parts of 

 Europe, from Iceland to the Mediterranean Sea. It is found in Asia from Rus- 

 sia and Siberia, as far as the Eastern Ocean ; and from the cold woody region of 

 the north, to the Alpine parts of Caucasus and Mount Libanus. In the former 

 situations it is a low shrubby bush, and in the latter, a handsome tree of the 

 third rank. It also occurs in Japan, and probably on other islands of the Indian 

 Ocean ; and, as stated above, two of its varieties are indigenous to North Amer- 

 ica. In Britain, it is common in woods and hedges, and in almost every cool and 

 mountainous part of the island, as well as in Ireland. In France, Germany, and 

 Switzerland, it occurs wild in the woods, and in the higher and colder regions of 

 the mountains of Sicily, Italy, and Spain. 



This tree was known to the Greeks and Romans, and frequent mention is 

 made of it by their poets and historians. Thus they tell us that the Amazons of 

 ancient mythology formed their spears of its wood ; and Virgil was aware that it 

 was susceptible of being grafted upon the pear, and that its fruit was sure to 

 attract the thrush and the black-bird to any grove where it grew. Pliny consid- 

 ered it as a species of ash; and Matihiolus, an Italian physician who wrote 

 about the middle of the XVIth century, describes it under the name of Sorbus 

 sylvestris. And lo come down to more recent times, Evelyn, in speaking of this 

 tree, says, that " ale and beer brewed Avith these berries, being ripe, is an incom- 

 parable drink, familiar in Wales." They form, continues he, a tempting bait for 

 the thrushes; so that, "as long as they last in your woods, you will be sure of 

 their company." " Besides the use of it for the husbandman's tools, goads, &c., 

 the wheelwright commends it for being all heart; our fletchers commend it for 

 bows, next to the yew, which we ought not to pass over, for the glory of our once 



