154 THE FLORIST. 



first introduced by the Horticultural Society in 1848, through their 

 collector Hartweg, who found it growing on the lofty coast-range 

 of mountains called San Antonio and San Luis Obispo, or Bishop 

 Mountains, in Upper California, in company with Pinus Sabiniana, 

 and the beautiful Evergreen Oak of California {Quercus agrifoliu). 

 It grows from ten to twelve feet high in its native mountains, with 

 a compact habit, and thickly set with foliage ; the leaves are of a 

 dark glossy green, quite round, heart-shaped at the base, finely 

 toothed round the edges, much undulated, and have, when bruised, 

 a very powerful smell of bitter almonds. Mr. Hartweg compares 

 it to a large bush of the common Holly, thickly studded all over 

 with middle-sized bright-red plums. Its native name is ' Islay.' 



If the plant is not botanically distinct from the Cherry {Cerasus), 

 it certainly forms a very distinct section of that genus, which might 

 have the name Ilicocerasus, or Holly-Cherry, given to it ; and when 

 its fruit gets improved by cultivation, it will greatly improve the 

 barren appearance of our orchards during the winter months by its 

 beautiful foliage. 



It grows freely in any good garden soil, and is said to flower in 

 April or May, and ripen its fruit in September. It is increased by 

 cutting or by eyes, like the Vine, in heat, and is quite hardy. 



George Gordon, A.L.S. 



DESCRIPTIVE LISTS OF FRUITS. 



No. VII. 



GRAPES {continued from p. 105). 



8. Black Ptince. 



Synonyms, according to Horticultural Society's Fruit Cata- 

 logue : Sir Abraham Pytches' Black, Alicant, Black Spa- 

 nish, Black Valentia, Black Portugal, Black Lisbon, Po- 

 cock's Damascus, Cambridge Botanic Garden, Lombardy 

 (of some), Steward's Black Prince, Boston. 

 Bunch large and long, for the most part regularly shouldered, and 

 tapering off in a gradual manner to the lower end ; berry above the 

 middle size, oval ; skin thick, very deep purplish black in colour, 

 overspread with a fine bloom ; pulp juicy, with a brisk and agreeable 

 flavour. A peculiarity belonging to this sort is, that when the berry 

 is pulled off the stalk, a portion of the flesh, like a little core, gene- 

 rally remains attached to the stalk. 



The leaves are of medium size, not deeply lobed or serrated ; 

 dark-green in colour, but they generally assume a purplish-crimson 

 tint when old. The Black Prince is a handsome, free-bearing, and 

 useful Grape, and although, upon the whole, not equal to the Black 

 Hamburgh, it is well worthy of cultivation. In warm situations and 

 favourable seasons, the fruit sometimes becomes eatable from the 

 open wall ; but it requires more heat to bring it to maturity than is 



