The Cultivated ]N^ative Plums and Cheekies. 33 



culture, and the Engelmann CJoUection of the Missouri Botanical 

 Gardens. Several botanists have favored me with, material, 

 especially Dr. C. E. Bessey, University of jSTebraska; Dr. T. G. 

 Porter, Easton, Penn.; and H. N. Patterson, Oquawka, Illinois. 

 And I have enjoyed the great advantage of having had the advice 

 of Professor C. S. Sargent, who has critically examined some 200 

 or 300 of our specimens. In the following descriptions, those 

 varieties, marked G, are in cultivation at GorneU. 



Section i. — Classification of the Cultivated Native Plums. 



A. The American Oroup. {Prunus Americana, Marshall, Arhus- 

 trum Americanum. 77/ [1785].) 



To this type belong the hardy, strong-growing varieties which 

 have come from the northwest, and which are characterized by a 

 finn, meaty, usually compressed, dull-colored late fruit, Avith 

 thick and usually very tough, glaucous skin, and large more or less 

 flattened stone which is often nearly or quite free, and by large, 

 obovate, thick, veiny, jagged, dull leaves. Prunus Americana 

 is generally distributed throughout the Northern States from 

 western New England to Kansas and Nebraska, and to the 

 mountains of Montana and Colorado, in the middle longitudes 

 reaching as far north as Manitoba and as far south as Texas 

 and even northern Mexico. Notwithstanding its wide range, 

 most of its cultivated varieties have come from its northwestern 

 limits, as northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kan- 

 sas. This fact is indication that the western plum may be a 

 distinct species from the eastern and southwestern types, and 

 I should not be sui^rised if we ultimately find this to be true. 

 I have looked in vain, however, for characters with which to 

 separate them. Professor Sargent is of the opinion that the 

 Prunus nigra of Alton should be revived to designate those forms 

 which are characterized by very flat and smooth stones, very 

 broad leaves, glandular leaf-stalks and calyx lobes, and large 

 flowers. To this species he would refer the Weaver, the stones 

 of which, as shown in Fig. 1, are very large, flat and smooth. 

 After the most careful study, however, I am unable to find any 

 constancy in these characters, especially in cultivated varieties*. 



5 



