PLAXTS CULTIVATED FOE THEIR FRUITS. 205 



Fruitier clu Musemn by Decaisne. These authors have 

 overcome STeat difficulties in distino-uishino- the varieties 

 and hybrids which are multiplied in gardens from the 

 true species, and in defining these by well-marked charac- 

 ters. Some strawberries whose fruit is poor have been 

 abandoned, and the finest are the result of the crossing 

 of the species of Virginia and Chili, of which I am about 

 to speak. 



Virginian Strawberry — Fragaria virginiana, Ehrarht. 



The scarlet strawberry of French gardens. This 

 species, in digenousin Canada and in the eastern States 

 of America, and of which one variety extends west as 

 far as the Rocky Mountains, perhaps even to Oregon,^ 

 was introduced into English gardens in 1629.^ It was 

 much cultivated in France in the last century, but its 

 hybrids with other species are now more esteemed. 



Chili Strawberry — Fragai^ta Chiloensis, Duchesne. 



A species common in Southern Chili, at Conception, 

 Valdivia, and Chiloe.^ and often cultivated in that country. 

 It was brought to France by Frezier in the year 1715. 

 Cultivated in the Museum of Natural History in France, 

 it spread to England and elsewhere. The large size of 

 the berry and its excellent flavour have produced by 

 diflferent crossings, especially with F. virginimia, the 

 highly prized varieties Ananas, Victoria, TroUope, ' 

 Rubis, etc. 



Bird- Cherry — Primus avium, Linnasus; Silsskirsch- 

 hauni in German. 



I use the word cherry because it is customary, and 

 has no inconvenience when speaking of cultivated species 

 or varieties, but the study of allied wild species confirms 

 the opinion of Linnaeus, that the cherries do not form 

 a separate genus from the plums. 



All the varieties of the cultivated cherry belong to 

 two species, which are found wild : 1. Prunics avium, 

 Linnaeus, tall, with no suckers from the roots, leaves 



^ Asa Gray, Manual of Botany of the Northern States, edit. 1868, 

 p. 155 ; Botany of California, i. p. 177. 



2 Phillips, Pomar. Brit., p. 335. 



3 CI. Gay, Hist. Chili, Botanica, ii. p. 305. 



