OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1917. 77 



45670 to 45691— Continued. 



45678. Malus niedzwetzkyana Dieck. Malacese. Apple. 

 (Roots.) One of the most curious apple trees in the collection, 



M. niedzicetzkyana has deep purplish red flowers and fruit, even the lle.sh 

 being purple, leaves purple (at least early in the season), and dark bark. 

 It comes from central Asia and is probably a form of M. puniila, one of 

 the parents of the common apple tree, as seedlings raised in the Arboretum 

 have sometimes pui-ple but more often green leaves. (Adapted from 

 'Arnold Arhoretum BuUetin of Popular Information No. 22.) 



45679. Malus PRTJNiFOLiA RiNKi (Koidz.) Rehder. Malaceae. Apple. 



(Roots.) It is a tree in its wild state with greenish yellow fruit, some- 

 times with a reddish cheek, or rarely entirely red, rather longer than 

 broad and not often more than 1^ inches in diameter ; it is juicy and has 

 an acid flavor. This tree was early introduced into Japan, wliere it was 

 formerly cultivated in many forms as a fruit tree. Its cultivation in 

 Japan was given up aiter the introduction of American and English 

 apple trees and it is now a rare plant there. Judging by the climate 

 where this tree grows naturally in weetern China, it should prove as 

 hardy as the Siberian Malus iaccata, which is one of the parents of the 

 hardy race of apples now much cultivated in the extreme north as 

 Siberian crabs ; and it is not improbable that by crossing the Rinki with 

 some of these hybrid crabs or with the hardiest varieties of the common 

 apple a race may be obtained more valuable for the cold parts of North 

 America than any of the apples which can now be grown in some of the 

 Northern States and in the northwestern Provinces of Canada. (Adapted 

 from Arnold Arhoretum BuUetin of Popular Information No. 3.) 



45680. Malus sylvestris Mill. Malacese. Apple. 



(Roots.) "A wild form of the cultivated apple secured in Turkestan." 



(Sargent.) 



45681. Malus theifera Rehder. Malacese. Apple. 



(Roots.) Malus theifera from central and western China is closely 

 related to Hall's crab. It is one of Wilson's introductions through seeds 

 sent in 1900 to Veitch and in 1907 to the Arboretum, whei*e it is now 

 12 feet high. It has upright, spreading, rather zigzag branches which are 

 densely studded with short spurs which bear numerous clusters of flow- 

 ers rose red in the bud, becoming pale and almost white when fully ex- 

 panded. In central China the peasants collect the leaves' and from them 

 prepare the palatable beverage which they call red tea. From this fact 

 the specific name is derived. (Adapted from Arnold Arhorettim Bulletin 

 of Popular Information No. Ji.) 



45682. Malus transitoria toringoides Rehder. Malacese. Apple. 



(Roots.) This plant looks quite distinct from typical Mahi» transitoria. 

 with its larger, partly entire leaves and larger fruit and may turn out to 

 be a distinct species, but as long as we do not know the mature fruits of 

 the type and the flowers of this variety we must rely on the difference in 

 the leaves, which is not sufficient for specific separation, as intergrada- 

 tions seem to exist. (Adapted from Sargent, Plantae Wilsonianae, vol. 

 2, p. 286.) 



