THE DRUPE-FRUITS 159 



of this group are known as Dukes only in England and the 

 United States; in France, the name Royale is given to them. 



The Mahaleh cherry. 



The Mahaleb is never grown for its fruits, but it now fur- 

 nishes the stocks upon which nearly all the cherries grown 

 in eastern America are propagated and a large part of those 

 of the Pacific states. 



231. Prunus Mahaleb described. — The following brief de- 

 scription should enable any student to identify the Mahaleb 

 cherry, a fruit quite different from the edible-fruited species : 



3. Prunus Mahaleh, Linn. (Plate XIII) Tree small, slender; branches 

 roughened, ash-gray over reddish-brown. Leaves numerous, 1 inch in 

 length, IVi inches wide, obovate, thick, leathery; margin finely crenate, 

 with reddish-brown glands; petiole ^/^ inch long, slender, greenish, with 1-3 

 small, globose, greenish glands. Flowers small, % inch across, white, fra- 

 grant; 6-8 scattered on stem 1 inch in length; terminal pedicels i^ inch 

 long and basal pedicels ^ inch long. Fruit very small, round-ovate; 

 suture a line ; apex pointed, with stigma adherent ; color black ; flesh 

 reddish-black, astringent, sour, not edible; stone free, small, ovate; ventral 

 suture prominent. 



232. Habitat of the Mahaleb cherry. — The Mahaleb, known 

 also as the St. Lucie and the Perfumed cherry, is a wild inhab- 

 itant of all southern Europe as far north as central France, 

 southern Germany, Austria-Hungary; and eastward through 

 Asia Minor and Caucasia to and within the borders of Turkestan. 

 Wild or cultivated, the Mahaleb is a shallow-rooted plant, a 

 fact that must be taken into consideration in its use as a stock. 

 The Mahaleb is a common escape from cultivation in eastern 

 North America, especially about the nursery centers of central 

 New York. This is called the Perfumed cherry because every 

 part of the plant emits a powerful odor somewhat like that of 

 clematis. 



The Tomentose cherry. 



233. Pomological characters. — This shrub-like cherry from 

 central Asia is very generally cultivated in China and Japan 

 for its fruit and as an ornamental. It has been introduced in 

 many widely separated places in North America, and appears to 

 be promising for cold regions. The plant is twiggy, close- 



