leACTus. ICOSANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 4G7 



umbilicate, pulpy, edible. Seeds numerous, small, immersed 

 in the pulp. 

 Hab. On dry rocks and in sandy fields. June — July. 



Prickly Pear. 

 The most northern locality of this plant, with which I am 

 acquainted, is Fairfield, New-York, where it was found by Dr. 

 Had ley. It is common on dry rocks near Ncw-Vork, and 

 in the pine barrens of New-Jersey. In the Southern Slates it 

 bears two kinds of spines ; one strong, long, and subulate ; 

 the other small and setaceous. Mr. EUi o it supposes there 

 are several species iucluded under the name of C. 0/iuntia^ 

 but I suspect these are varieties produced by diversity of 

 situation. 







314. PRUNUS. L. 



Calyx inferior, campanulate, 5-cleft, deciduous. 

 l^etals 5. Drupe even ; nut with a smooth, somcwliat 

 prominent suture. Gen. pL M9. Nutt. Gen. I. p. 

 302. Prunus et Cerasus Juss. p. 341. Lam. 

 III. X. 432. Nat. Ord. Rosacea Juss. 



Plum and Cherry. 



* Flowers racemose. 



1 . p. virginiana L. : racemes erect, elongated ; leaves 

 deciduous, oval-oblong, acuminate, shining; above, serrate, 

 smooth on both sides ; petiole? with "2—4 glands. Willd. 

 Spec. II. p. 985. Willd. ^rb. t. 5. f. 1. Pursh Fl. \. 

 p. 329. El Holt i*^. 1. p. 540. Walt. Car. i>.\AG. 

 Cerasi'S virginiana JM i c h. Fl. I, p. 285. M ich. f. Jrb. 

 {I. p. 285. t. 88. Cerasus sylvestris. Cold. Noveb. 113. 



A large tree, with a blackish rough bark, which detaches itself 

 semicircularly in thick narrow plates ; wood dense, resemb- 

 ling mahogany. Leaves alternate, petiolate, dull, with a sliort 

 abrupt acumination, acute at the base, serrate ; the serra- 

 tures nearly equal, callous and slightly mucronate at the tip. 

 Flowers in long simple racemes, which are straight when 

 young; pedicels 2 — 3 lines long. Calyx smooth, with 5 small 

 teeth. /*<?m/s white, orbicular. Stamens 15 — 20. 6'/i//c sim- 

 ple, straight ; stig'?na obtuse. Fruit dark red, almost black 

 when ripe, edible. 



Hab. In woods; frequent. May. Wild Cherry. 



2. P. scrotinu Ehrh. : racemes loose, at Icn^^tb pendu- 

 lous ; leaves deciduous, oval, with a short acum'.iatioa, opake, 

 doubly and very acutely serrate; midrib bearded on each 

 side towards the base ; petiole with 2 glands. W i 1 1 d. Spec. 



