289 



PYRUS MINIMA Ley. 



By the Rev. Augustin Ley. 



(Plate 372.) 



Little has been discovered to throw fresh light upon this shrub 

 since the short notice of it contributed by me to this Journiil for 

 1895, p. 84. The pubHcation of a plate of the plant affords me an 

 opportunity for gathering up all the information upon it which I am 

 able to give, and for publishing a somewhat ampler description. 



Pyrus minima Ley. A small spreading shrub, height 10-20 ft. ; 

 much branched, with slender branches. Leaves linear-oblong, 

 shallowJy pinnatifid, with three to four principal lobes, which are 

 usually deepest at the middle or upper part of the leaf, the lowest 

 one-third or one-fourth being without lobes ; side-veins five to seven, 

 making a very acute amjle with the midrib, prominent on under, 

 grooved on upper surface ; under surface clothed with grey felt, 

 which persists until the leaf falls. 



Flowers produced late in May or early in June, in loose corymbs 

 which are not flat-topped, small, resembling those of P. Aucuparia 

 Gaertn. ; petals cream-coloured, round ; anthers on first opening 

 pinkish, then dark brown ; calyx erect and prominent on the unripe 

 fruit, persistent until the fruit is ripe. Fruit small, (/lubose, hriyht 

 coral-red, bitter, ripening in the end of August or the beginning 

 of September ; perfume in the flowers resembling that of fresh 

 ( 'rat(F,fjus Oxyacantlia. 



Locality. On a limestone mountain clift' called Craig Cille, near 

 Crickhowel, Breconshire ; also on limestone rocks at Blaen Onnen, 

 two miles westward from Craig Cille. Undoubtedly native, and in 

 great abundance at the former station, where the shrubs clothe the 

 limestone cliff to its head at 1600 ft. ; seedlings also being frequent. 

 V. intennedia, P. Aria var. ntpicola, and P. Aucuparia occur on the 

 same cliff; but the very distinct habit and fruit of the present 

 plant, as well as other reasons, forbid the idea of hybridity. 



P. minima differs from P. scandica Syme in the leaves being 

 narrower, with a more linear outline, and much shallower lobes, 

 except upon the young leading shoots ; and especially in the fruit 

 being globose, small, and bright red. Fresh specimens of this Arran 

 form, kindly communicated to me by the Rev. D. Landsborough, 

 show its anthers to be, as in P. minima, light pink upon first 

 opening, becoming brown afterwards. 



From P. intermedia Ehrh. (as represented by the Piercefield 

 Park plant) it differs by the slender, branching habit ; by ,tho 

 greyer felt of the smaller, much more linear leaves, which have the 

 lobes terminating in a much sharper point ; by the flowers being 

 less than half the size ; by the colour of the anthers ; and finally 

 by the small fruit. P. intermedia has long, thick, nearly undivided 

 bniuches, very showy flowers larger than in P. Aria Ehrh., with 

 long stamens and rather brightly pink anthers, and large fruit. 



Vyrus minima is one of a series of closely allied forms, two of 



Journal or Botany. — Vol. 35. [Aug. 1897.] u 



