SUSPECTED SPECIES. 131 



WESTERN WILD CHERRY. 



{Prunus demissa (Nutt.) Walp.) 



A shrub or small tree, greatest height about 30 feet and diameter 

 li feet, with rather thick, acute leaves, white flowers in terminal 

 dense racemes, and dark purple or black, rather sweet, edible fruit. 

 (PI. XXVII.) This species is rather common in valleys and canyons 

 in all parts of the State. The general distribution of the Western wild 

 cheriy extends from the Dakotas to Nebraska and New Mexico, and 

 west to California. 



The first wild cherry blossoms of the season were observed at Logan, 

 Montana, on May 17. The bush is most plentiful along the creeks, 

 but grows at the base of rocky ledges and in association with juniper 

 among granite bowlders in the mountains. A few bushes were noted at 

 Logan the crisp, leaf 3^ ends of which had been slightly browsed, and as 

 cattle were grazing in the immediate vicinity it is to be presumed that 

 they ate them. Stock do not often eat cherry leaves, though they eat 

 them occasionally; but no cases are on record where stock have been 

 poisoned \>n eating the leaves of any species while still on the tree. 

 It is only after they have been cut off and have partially wilted 

 that they are considered dangerous, the reason for this being that 

 during the process of wilting prussic acid is formed from nonpoison- 

 ous constituents which are alwa3^s present in the living leaf. This is 

 known to be true of wild black cherry {P. serotiyw)^ choke cheriy {P. 

 virginia7ia)^ and wild red cherry {P. pennsylvanica)^ and is probably 

 true of the present species, which resembles P. serotina^ the most 

 poisonous species, more closely than it does any other species. The 

 wilted leaves have the characteristic odor of prussic acid. 



Forty-three grams of crisp leaf}^ shoots, collected May 11 and pre- 

 served unwilted in a tin box, were carefully rubbed up in a mortar 

 with 200 c. c. of water three hours later, and allowed to stand until 

 the next morning when it was filtered. This extract had the charac- 

 teristic odor of prussic acid. One cubic centimeter, representing less 

 than a half gram of the fresh leaf, was then injected hypodeiTuically 

 into a 3"oung rabbit, but it was without effect. The extract was too 

 dilute to show the characteristic effects. Had a stronger extract been 

 made from leaves more thoroughly shredded, it would undoubtedly 

 have given the characteristic tests for prussic acid. 



BANEBERRY. 



{Actaea eburnea Rydberg.) 



A smooth perennial, 1 to 2 feet high, with compound leaves repeat- 

 edl}^ divided and an elongated raceme. The small white flowers, which 



