ROSACEA. 93 CERASUS. 



a<trin<rent ; those of Gillenia, as an emetic ; Agrimonia, as a vermifuge. The petals of 

 Rosa Damascena, yield the well known fragrant oil, called attar of rose. The Almond, 

 Peach, &c. abound in Prussic acid, a deadly poison, resuUng chiefly in the leaves and flow- 

 ers.— Of the Rosaceoe, as ornamental flowering shrubs it is scarcely necessary to speali. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



( C&v\csc .Fotentilla. 9 



( IiVs.com. I Acaules Wald.^teinia.Vi 



f Sty. decid. I Leaves simple, Dilaharda. V2 



( a dry recep. | tt caudate with the persist, style, Geinn . 14 



\ I which is sweet and eatable in Fragaria, U 



r.3-many,on (ajuicyrecp-l but insipid in . . . Comarmn. 10 



I ( Flowers perfect, SangmsorbaA^ 



« \ f Calyx 4-eleft, unarmed; l Fls. moncKcious, Poterium. 17 



I na- ( dry, | 1—2 ; ( Calyx 4-cleft, armed with hooked bristles, Agrimonia. 18 



S ( ked, ( drupaceous, aggregated upon a juicy receptacle. Prickly, Ri(hus. 8 



.S i enclosed within the cavity of the thickened calyx. Prickly shrubs, Rosa. .7 



J 3 — .5; unarmed shrul]s. . . . Spmea. Ibi 



Follicles nearly or quite distinct, ( 5; herbs witli :m: <\v\u\ .niiline leaves. Gillenia. 1!) 



( Br.iiHhrs ill iriiy. Crataegus. 4 



( Petals roundish; ( Bruii'liis iiiKiiined, Pyrus. 5 



(■ Pome inferior; | Pet. oblong ; porne wiiho double cells, Amelanchur. 6 



( compressed; fruit glaucous. Prumis. 2 



Trees and"] ( Nucleus smooth, | globose; fruit not glaucous. Cerasus. 1 



shrubs ; [ Drupe superi.; ( Nucleus perforated with pits and furrows, Anvjgdalus. 3 



Suborder 1, AMYGDALE^. 



Ovary solitary. Fruit a drupe. Seed mostly solitary. Calyx deciduous. 



1. CE'RASUS. 



Calyx 5-cleft, deciduous; petals much spreading; stamens 

 15 — 30 ; drupe globose, fleshy, destitute of a glaucous bloom ; 

 nucleus roundish, smooth. 



Naine from Cerasus, a town in Pontus, from whence the garden cherry was 

 first brought into Europe. 



* Flowers in racemes. 



1. C. SEROTI'NA. Dc. C. Virginiana. Mx. 

 7?rtccmes erect, elongated; Zearcs deciduous, oval-oblong, acuminate, une- 

 qually serrate, smooth, shining above ; petioles with 2 — 4 glands. The wild 

 cherry is with us, a well known, large forest tree, 40 or 50 leet in hight, with 

 a diaiiieter of a foot or more. On the banks of the Ohio, it towers to the hight 

 of 80 or 100 feet, with a trunk of uniform size, undivided to the hjghtof 25 or 

 30 feet, and 3—5 feet in diameter. Tlie bark is black and rough. Leaves of 

 a fine green, 5 or 6 inches long, with 1 or 2 pairs of reddish glands at the base. 

 In May and June it puts forth its numerous cylindric clusters of white flow- 

 ers. Fruit nearly black when mature, bitterish, yet pleasant to the taste, and 

 Greedily devoured by tlie birds. The wood is extensively used in cabinet- 

 work; it is compact, fine-grained, and receives a high polish. The bark has 

 a stronn-, bitter taste, and has been used in medicine as a tonic. 



Wild Cherry. Black Cherry. 



2. C. ViRGINIA'NA. Dc. C serotina. Hook. 



Racemes lax, at length pendulous; leaves smooth, sharply serrate, oval, 

 deciduous, the lower serratures glandular ; ribs bearded on each side towards 

 the base ; petiole with 2 glands. A small tree or shrub, 5—20 feet high, in 

 woods and hedges. It flowers in June, and yields an abundance of fruit of a 

 dark red color," which is not unpleasant to the taste, though astringent and 

 bitter. The ciierries are about as large as those of the preceding species. 



Choke Cherry. 



