Frunus. XLVIII. ROSACEA. 241 



globose.— A smaller tree than the preceding, much cultivated. Trunk i;>— 20f 

 high, -with a roundish, compact head. Branches slender. Leaves 2 — 3' long, 

 f as wide, unequally serrate, on petioles i as long, with 2 glands. Flowers 

 white, expanding sooner than the leaves, 2 or 3 from each bud, on pedicels f 

 long. Fruit large, various shades of red, acid or subacid. Apr. — In Prince's 

 Catalogue, 1844, these two species are transposed (perhaps by mistake). About 

 125 varieties are there published, of which 50 belong to the present species. ^ 



2. PR UN US. Tourn. 

 Calyx 5-cleft, regular, deciduous ; petals mucli spreading ; stamens 

 15 — 30 ; ovary 2-ovuled ; drupe ovate, fleshy, smooth, generally cov- 

 ered with a glaucous bloom ; nucleus compressed, smooth. — Small 

 trees ar shrubs. Lvs. convolute in vernation. 



1. P. Americana. Marsh. (Cerasus nigra. Loisel.) Bed Plum. Yellow Plitm, 

 Somewhat thorny ; lvs. oblong-oval and obovate, abruptly and strongly 



acuminate, doubly serrate; drupes roundish-oval, reddish-orange,. with a thick, 

 coriaceous skin. — Hedges and low woods, U. S. and Can., often cultivated for 

 its sweet, pleasant fruit, which is about the size of the damson. Shrub 10 — 15f 

 high. Leaves 2 — 3' long, | as wide, petioles i — J' long, mostly with 2 glands at 

 the summit. Flowers preceding the leaves, 3^ — 4 in each of the numerous um- 

 bels, white. Drupes nearly destitute of bloom, ripe in Aug. Flowers in Ma)^ ^ 



2. P. iNsiTiTiA. Wild Bullace Tree. 



L/vs. ovate-lanceolate or oblanceolate, tapering to the petiole, acute, serrate, 

 pube.scent-villous beneath ; branches somewhat spiny ; fis. naked, generally in 

 pairs ; cat. segments entire, obtuse ; pet. obovate ; fruAt globular. — A European 

 shrub or small tree, 15 — 20f high, naturalized " on the banks of Charles River, 

 in Cambridge, road-sides at Cohasset, and other places in the vicinity of Bos- 

 ton." Emerson, Rep. trees and shrubs of Mass. The leaves and flowers are 

 from separate, but adjacent buds, the former 1 — li' long, with short petioles. 

 Petals white. Fruit black, covered with a )'ellowish bloom. ^ 



3. P. Maritima. Wang. (P. littoralis. Bw.) Beach Plum. 



Lvs. oval or obovate, slightly acuminate, sharply serrate ; petioles with 2 

 glands ; umbels few-flowered ; pedicels short, pubescent ; fr. nearly round. — A 

 small shrub, abundant on the sea-beach, particularly on Plum Island ! at the 

 mouth of Merrimac river. Very branching. Leaves 1 — 3' long, downy-canes- 

 cent beneath when young, becoming at length nearly smooth. Flowers white, 

 2 — 5 in each of the numerous umbels. Fruit globular, eatable, red or purple, 

 little inferior in-size to the common garden plum, ripe in Aug., Sept. Fl. in May. 



4. P. SPINOSA. Black Thorn. Sloe. — Branches thorny ; fis. solitary ; cat. cam- 

 panulate, lobes obtuse, longer than the tube ; lvs. pubescent beneath, obovate- 

 elliptical, varying to ovate, .sharply and doubly dentate ; driipe globose. — Hedge- 

 rows and cultivated grounds, Perm. Pursh. A thorny shrub, 12 — 15f high, na- 

 tive of Europe. ^ 



5. P. Chicasa. Michx. (Cerasus. DC.) Chickasaw Plum. — Branches spi- 

 nose ; lvs. oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, glandular-sernilate, acute, nearly 

 smooth; umbels 2 — 3-flowered, pedicels short, smooth; drupe globose. — A fine 

 fruit-shrub, native of Arkansas, &c., often cultivated. Height 8 — I2f, with a 

 bushy head. Leaves 1 — 2' long, I as wide, petioles about i' long. Flowers 

 small, white, expanding with the leaves, in Apr. Fruit red, or yellowish-red, 

 tender and succulent, ripe in July. There are several varieties, j- 



6. P. DOMESTiCA. Common Garden Plum. Damson PI. — Branches unarmed ; 

 lvs. oval or ovate-lanceolate, acute; pedicels nearly solitary; drupe globose, oval, 

 ovoid and obovoid. — This long cultivated tree or shrub is said to be a native of 

 Italy. It rarely exceeds I5f in height. Leaves quite variable in form, 1 — 3' 

 lOng, I as wide, sometimes obtuse, on petioles about 1' in length. Flowers 

 white, generally but one from a bud, expanding while the leaves are but ha,f 

 gro^vm, in Apr. and May. Fruit black, varying through many colors to white, 

 covered with a rich glaucous bloom, ripe m Aug. About 150 varieties are pub- 

 lished in the catalogues of American gardeners. | 



