260 



PTRUS. 



leaves like those of the Sage, and, 

 like all the Pears, white flowers ; 

 this peculiarity, independently of 

 other marks, distinguishing them 

 from the Apples, which have always 

 reddish flowers ; P. arnygdalifor- 

 mis, which has silvery-white leaves, 

 and fi-uit shaped like that of the Al- 

 mond ; P. el CEO gini folia, which has 

 long narrow white leaves like those 

 of the Elfeagnus ; P. salicifbUa, with 

 long, nan-ow, silky leaves like those 

 of the Willow ; and P. nivalis, which 

 has round leaves of a snowy white- 

 ness. All these species have small 

 green fruit, not good to eat ; but the 

 trees are most ornamental from their 

 shape and the singular colour of 

 their foliage. The following kinds 

 of Pyrus belong to the section of 

 A^ria. P. A^ria, the White Beam 

 Tree, and its varieties. P. A. au- 

 gust if alia and P. A. cretica, are 

 admired for the beauty of their 

 leaves, which are green above and 

 white beneath, and for the bright 

 scarlet fruit which they produce in 

 great abundance. P. vest i* a, the 

 Nepal White Beam Tree, is a rare 

 and beautiful object, as its leaves, 

 which are clothed -ndth a thick white 

 wool beneath, are of a large size, and 

 die oS'in autumn of a most beautiful 

 pale-yellow. There are several other 

 ornamental species of Pyras. P. va- 

 riolosa is remarkable for the vai-ying 

 forms of its foliage, which is some- 

 times pinnate, like that of the l^Ioun- 

 tain Ash, and sometimes deeply 

 lobed and cut, like that of the Haw- 

 thorn, or entire and cordate and 

 pointed, like that of the Pear. It 

 is somewhat tender, and thrives 

 best in a sheltered situation, or 

 against a wall. P. tormindlis, the 

 Griping Wild Service tree, is re- 

 markable for the beautiful form of 

 its leaves, which, however, are \m- 

 fortunately very apt to be eaten by 

 insects. 



beautiful green, and very ornamen- 

 tal in the winter season. Pyrus 

 aucupdria, the Mountain Ash, is a 

 well-known small tree, beautiful 

 both when in flower and in fruit, 

 and worth cultivating for its foliage 

 alone. P^rMsanieHccjia, the Ame- 

 rican Mountain Ash, resembles the 

 common sort, but has larger leaves 

 and smaller fruit, though it is of a 

 much deeper red. Pyrus Sorbus, 

 the common Service Tree, has foliage 

 like that of the Mountain Ash, but 

 larger ; and the fruit resembles that 

 of the common Pear, but much 

 smaller, and not ornamental though 

 it is eatable. Pyrus spuria, a 

 native of Kamtschatka, has leaves 

 like the Elder, and small black fruit : 

 the leaves of this species die off in 

 autumn of an intensely deep -purple, 

 which is almost black. There is a 

 pendulous variety, P. s. penclula, 

 which is one of the most ornamental 

 of drooping branched small trees ; 

 and, as neither the variety nor the 

 species exceed twelve or fifteen 

 feet in height, they are admirably 

 adapted for small gai'dens. 



The following kinds of Pi^rus are 



shrubs, and very ornamental, both 



for their fruit and flowers : P. ar- 



bufifolia, which has white flowers 



and black fruit, and the leaves of 



i which become of a beautiful red in 



I autumn ; there are six or eight 



I varieties, commonly treated as spe- 



■ cies : P. Chamcemespilus, which has 



I large white flowers and red or black 



I fruit ; and P. floribfmda, which 



j grows about four feet high, and 



sends down weeping branches all 



! round, which are covered with such 



a profusion of white flowers during 



the flowering season, that the plants 



look like a hillock covered with 



snow. These last-mentioned shrubby 



j kinds are sometimes called Aronia. 



I Pyrus japonica, so well known for 



its beautiful scarlet flowers, is now 



