684 CERASUS. [CLASS XII. ORDKR I. 



English Botany, t. 842.— English Flora, vol. ii. p. 357. — Hooker, 

 British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 195. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 90. 



A small rigid bushy shrub, with a dark blackish brown bark, the 

 branches downy towards the ends, and terminating in a short rigid 

 spine. Leaves scarcely an inch long, elliptic -ovate, or broadly lanceo- 

 late, somewhat downy beneath, acutely and doubly toothed, on short 

 footstalks. Calyx campanulate, with five obtuse lobes, spreading. 

 Petals pure white, rounded, with a short claw. Fruit small, globose, 

 blackish purple, covered with a fine powdery bloom, of a very austere 

 astringent taste. 



Habitat.— Yiediges and waste places; common. 



Shrub ; flowering in March and April. 



This species is distinguished from the last by its more bushy growth, 

 its dark polished bark, more spinous branches, the pedicles of the 

 flowers being smooth, and its darker more austere smaller fruit. The 

 flowers are in clusters, and appear some time before the leaves. 



The fruit of this is far more austere, with a greater degree of astrin- 

 gency than the last species, on account of which it is used to give the 

 roughness to British made Port Wines. The dried leaves, when pro- 

 perly prepared, have a great resemblance to China tea, and some years 

 since a manufactory of it was established on an extensive scale, and a 

 patent taken out for the preparation of British leaves as a substitute for 

 tea. The fraudulent adulteration of China tea with this preparation 

 led, however, to the suppression of the manufactory. From the Par- 

 liamentary investigations, it is shown that about four million pounds 

 of fictitious tea was annually made in this country, and used for the 

 purpose of mixing with that brought from China. 



GENUS II. CERA'SUS.— TouRN. 



Nat. Ord. Rosa'ce^. Juss. 



Gen. Char. Calyx five cleft, inferior. Petals five. Fruit a per- 

 sistent smooth fleshy drupe, globose, or umbilicated at the base, 

 and without any bloom on the surface. Nut smooth, sub-globose. 

 — Leaves conduplicate. — Named from Cerasus, a town in Asia, 

 from whence the cherry is said to have been brought. 

 1. C. avi'um, Mcench. (Fig. 782.) Wild Cherry. Flowers in nearly 

 sessile umbels; peduncles slender; fruit roundish ovate, depressed; 

 leaves ovate lanceolate, somewhat downy beneath. 



De Cand. Prod. 1. p. 535. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 90. — Prunus 

 CerasMS, Linn. — English Botany, t. 706.— English Flora, vol. ii. p. 

 354.— Hooker, British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 195. 



A tall tree, with a round erect bole, and slightly or much divided 

 and spreading branches the bark smooth, shining brownish ash colour, 



