100 Agricdltukal Expekimbnt Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



Thus far, all appears to be simple enough; but if we begin to 

 inquire into the species of these cherries we find great difficulty, 

 for it is plain that two and perhaps even three species are passing 

 as Pnmus pumila. Propagators have long recognized two well 

 marked types of sand or dwarf cheiTj\ The commonest species is 

 the one shown, natural isize, in Fig. 13. It grows along rivei*s and 

 sandy or rocky coasts, fi*om northem Maine (and probably fixim 

 Ne^^•foundland) to Washington, and perhaps even farther soutili, 

 and ranges westward to the great lakes and Manitoba. I do not 

 know if it gTows on the seashore, but aside from a specimen from 

 Aroostook comity, Maine, I have not seen it fi'om New England. 

 It is a prostrate or decumbent shrub, the roughish dark branches 

 ascending in a straggling manner three or four feet, or sometimeo^ 

 twice that height. The flowers are rather small, with narix)w 

 petals. The leaves are long and pointed (nearly linear at flower- 

 ing time), varying from oblanceolate to nearly obovate-lanceo- 

 late, or sometimes lanceolate, rather thick and Ann and promi- 

 nently veined, especially beneath, terminating usually in a. sharp 

 point and bearing on the upx>er half isihort but shai*p teeth which, 

 however, are usually smaller than shown in Fig. 13. This 

 spe(.'ies is very variable. The form upon Lake Michigan is char- 

 acterized by very long and willow-like leaves, and broad-lwived 

 forms occur in other places. Nurserymen take advantage of its 

 straggling habit by grafting it upon standard stocks for the pur- 

 pose of making a weeping tree. It is sometimes sold as Cerasus 

 pumila. A variety variegata of this weeping tree is catalogiied, 

 but I have not seen it. The sand cheiTj' is the plant which 

 Linnaeus meant to designate by his Prunuis pimiila.* It is the 



*Linnfeu8 founded the species upon a figure by Miller (t. 89, f. 2) and upon a 

 plant cultivated in the U]iaala gardens. Miller's figure, so far as it goes, and 

 Linnaeus' characterization, shows thatLinureus meant to describe the prostrate 

 and long-leaved plant which I have above indicated as P. pumila. Linnaeus' 

 herbarium affords no aid, accordingto the following notes upon it, which were 

 recently made by Dr. N. L. Britton, and which he has kindly placed at my 

 disposal. The herbarium contains. 



" 1. A sheet of the eastern plant [pumila], marked l)y him pumila. 



"2. Another sheet also marked pumila, but of some other species which I 

 did not recognize. 



" 3. Another sheet also so marked, but of some still different thing. 



