78o 



PRUMNOPITYS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PRUMNOPITYS ELEGANS {Plum- 

 fruited Yeiv). — An evergreen tree from 

 Chili, allied to the common Yew, of dense 

 growth and cheerful green colour. 

 Though it grows slowly, especially in 

 height, it is hardy over a great part of 

 Britain, easily suited as to soils, and 

 readily transplanted. It is an excellent 

 lawn tree, thriving in towns better than 

 most conifers ; it also bears cutting with- 

 out injury, though naturally of a fine 

 pyramidal habit. In its own land it 

 reaches a height of 50 feet, but our best 

 trees do not yet exceed one half this 

 height. The leaves are flat and narrow, 

 bright green above and somewhat silvery 

 beneath, while the reddish or purple fruits 

 to which the tree owes its name are 

 nearly as large as a cherry and of similar 

 structure-a hard inner kernel wrapped in 

 fleshy pulp with a tough outer rind. In 

 severe winters young trees are injured or 

 even killed, but when well established 

 it endures severe cold. It is an excellent 

 seaside shrub, well adapted for hedges 

 and screens. Increase by imported seeds 

 or cuttings, which root readily in sandy 

 soil, under a handlight in autumn. Seed 

 should always be preferred, increase by 

 cuttings tending to spoil the tree 

 by encouraging its way of growing 

 outwards instead of up. Syn. Podocarpus 

 andijia. 



PRUNELLA {Large Self-heal).— I:\y\s 

 handsome and vigorous plant P. grandi- 

 flora is readily distinguished by its 

 large flowers from the weedy British Self- 

 heal {P. vulgaris). There is a white and a 

 purple variety, both handsome plants, 

 thriving in almost any soil, but preferring 

 one moist and free, and a somewhat shaded 

 position. In winter they are apt to go off 

 on the London clay, at least on the level 

 ground, but are well suited for mixed 

 borders, banks, or copses. The variety 

 laciniata has deeply-cut leaves. Europe. 

 Flowering in summer. P. pyrenaica 

 (Pyrenean Self-heal) is allied to the pre- 

 ceding, and considered a variety of it, 

 thriving with the same treatment, and 

 growing about 10 in. high, with larger 

 violet-purple flowers. P. Webbiana is a 

 good garden form making a thick green 

 carpet, with spikes of handsome rosy- 

 purple flowers. Labiata?. Syn. Brunella. 



PRUNUS {Plum, Almond, Peach, Apri- 

 cot, Cherry, Bird Cherry, Cherry-Laurel). 

 — Bentham and Hooker in the "Genera 

 Plantarum" united under Prunus the 

 whole of the species which had at an 

 earlier date been known under one or 

 other of the following names : Amygdalus, 

 Persica, Armeniaca, Prunus, Cerasus, 



Padus, and Lauro-Cerasus. This arrange- 

 ment, which was necessary from the fact 

 that no well-defined line could be drawn 

 between them, has given rise to some 

 confusion. And we may see in conse- 

 quence two Apricots, maybe, growing 

 side by side, the older one called Ar- 

 meniaca, the newer one Prunus. In 

 the following notes the whole of the 

 species dealt with are considered as 

 Prunus and are arranged alphabetically ; 

 and some, not of much garden value, or 

 those not hardy in Britain, are excluded. 

 But it will be well perhaps to first show 

 the section to which each belongs. 



The Almonds and Peaches. — Amygdalus. 

 P. Amygdalus, P. Davidiana, P. incana, P. nana, 

 P. orientalis, P. Persica, P. Siiiioni. 



The Apricots. — Armeniaca. 

 P. Arinoiiaca, P. brigantiaca, P. dasycarpa, P. 

 Mume, P. sibirica, P. toinentosa, P. triloba. 



The Plums. — Prunus. 



P. alleghaniensis , P. americana, P. angustifolia, P. 



cerasifera, P. cetasifera var. atro-purpurea, P. cotn- 



munis, P. comtnunis var. pruneauliatia, P. divari- 



cata, P. insititia, P. spinosa, P. triflora, P. Watsoni. 



The Cherries.— Cerasus. 

 P. acida, P. Aziitim, P. Besseyi, P. Cerasus, P. 

 Chamcecerasus, P. humilis, P. Jacquemonti, P. 

 japonica, P. inaritiina, P. Maximowiczi, P. pendula, 

 P. pennsylvanica, P. prostrata, P. pseudo-Cerasus, 

 P. Puddum, P. pumila, P. serrulata, P. subhirtella, 

 P. tomentosa. 



The Bird Cherries.— Padus. 

 P. Capollin, P. cornuta, P. demissa, P. Maackii, 

 P. Mahaleb, P. tnollis, P. Padus, P. serotina, P. 

 virginiana. 



The Cherry-Laurels. — Laurocerasus. 

 P. ilicifolia, P. Laurocerasus, P. lusitanica. 



P. ACIDA. — One of the species from which 

 the Cherries of gardens have been derived ; 

 small, dark-green, shining leaves of firm texture 

 and nearly glabrous. A variety is scmper- 

 florens, of drooping habit and bearing white 

 flowers (sometimes double) from >Iay to 

 September, and often carrying flowers and fruit. 

 A dwarf tree, usually grafted standard high. 



P. ALLEGHANIENSIS. — Usually a shrub from 

 4 feet to 6 feet high, but sometimes a small 

 tree three or four times that height. The 

 flowers, \ inch across, at first pure white 

 changing to pink, are followed by handsome 

 fruits, which are blue-purple, nearly globular, 

 and valued for preserving. Pennsylvania. 



P. AMERICANA (wild Red Plum). — A hand- 

 some tree found in North America to the east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and one of the 

 hardiest. It is a tree 20 feet or more high, of 

 graceful habit, bearing at the end of April or 

 the beginning of May many pure snowy white 

 blossoms ; fruits red or yellowish-red, the 

 species being cultivated in the United States 

 on their account. The Canada Plum, F. nigra, 

 a form of this, is yet more showy and earlier 

 in flower, but runs into americana through 

 intermediate forms. 



P. AMYGDALUS (the Common Almond). — 

 One of the earliest of trees to bloom, and 

 reaching its best before hardy trees have done 

 more than show signs of reviving life. There 



