TZ ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 
species, or its variety C. (v.) serotina, having been cultivated by Parkinson 
in 1629, underthe name of the Virginian cherry bay. The species is now 
very general in British collections; and in some places in Surrey, for exam- 
ple, in the neighbourhood of Chertsey and at Deepdene, it appears as if 
naturalised; plants springing up abundantly in the woods and in the wastes, 
from nuts dropped by the birds. 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the Virginian bird cherry is of a light 
red tint, which deepens with age. It is compact, fine-grained, and takes a 
brilliant polish ; it is also not liable to warp when perfectly seasoned. In 
America, it is extensively used by cabinetmakers for every species of furni- 
ture; and, when chosen near the ramification of the trunk, it rivals mahogany 
in beauty. The wood is generally preferred to that of the black walnut, the dun 
colour of which, in time, becomes nearly black. On the banks of the Ohio, 
it is employed in ship-building ; and the French of Illinois use it for the felloes 
of wheels. The fruit is employed to make a cordial, by infusion in rum or 
brandy, with the addition of a certain quantity of sugar. The bark is bitter 
and aromatic, its taste being strong, penetrating, and not disagreeable. It is, 
undoubtedly, a useful tonic, and appears to possess, in some degree, narcotic 
and antispasmodic properties. The latter quality is strongest in the recent 
state of the bark, and in the distilled water. (Michaua, iii. p. 155.) In 
Europe, C. virginiana is planted solely as an ornamental tree; and, as such, 
it well deserves a place in every collection; and it should be planted in every 
shrubbery or wood where it is desirable to attract frugivorous singing birds. 
For soil, situation, propagation, culture, &c., see C. Padus. 
Statistics. The largest trees in the neighbourhood of London are in the arboretum at Kew, where 
there is a tree upwards of 30 ft. high. There are, also, large trees at Syon, at Deepdene, at Lyne 
Grove, and St. Anne’s Hill. The handsomest young tree of this kind that we know is in the Duke 
ot Devonshire’s grounds at Chiswick ; where, after being 8 years planted, it has attained the height 
of 25 ft., forming a singularly rich and graceful tree. (See the statistics of C. (v.) serétina.) The price 
of seedlings, in the London nurseries, is 50s. per hundred, and of large plants 1s. 6d. each; at Boll- 
wyller, seedlings are 15 francs a hundred, and large plants 1 frane each. 
¥ 24. C.(v.) seRO’TINA Lois. The late-flowering, or American, Bird 
Cherry Tree. 
Identification. Lois, in N. Du Ham., 5. p. 3.; Dec. Prod, 2. p. 540. ; Don's Mill. 2. p, 515. 
Synonymes. Priinus serdtina Willd. Abb., 239.; P. virginiana Mill. Dict., No. 2. 
Engravings. Willd. Abb., 239. t. 5. f. 2. ; Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 48. ; and our jig. 419. 
Spec. Char., §c. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, rather coriaceous, glossy, serrated ; 
the teeth imbricate, very numerous, and the lowest ones indistinctly 
glanded; midrib downy at its base. Floral leaves narrowed at the base. 
Racemes loose. Fruit black. (Dec. Prod., ii. p. 540.) A tree, a native of 
North America, introduced in 1629. 
Variety. 
¥ C.s. 2 retisa Ser. — Leaves obovate, round, very obtuse, almost retuse, 
slightly villose beneath; midrib hairy above and below. A native 
of South America. (Dec. Prod., ii. p. 540.) 
Description, §c. This sort so closely resem- . 
bles C. virginiana, that we have no doubt what- AY. 
ever of their being one and the same species. Vit 
Sir W. J. Hooker observes: “ That Michaux = 
and others have confounded the C. serdétina and 
the C. virginiana is quite certain; but it is still 
with me a matter of great doubt, how far the 
two are entitled to be ranked as species. The 
serratures and tufts of hair on the under sides 
of the leaves are, undoubtedly, variable ; and 
we know how little dependence is to be placed 
upon the foliage of our own Cérasus Padus ; 
a species so nearly allied to this, that Seringe 
(in De Candolle’s Prodromus) seems to doubt 
if it be really distinct.” (27. Bor. Amer., i. 
p- 170.) By comparing the trees in the Lon- 
419 

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