16 - THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



Chiskasaw Plum {P. angustifolia Marsh.) A small tree, with 

 lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate leaves, the leafstalk bearing two 

 glands ; calyx lobes glandular-ciliate ; fruit globose, half an inch in 

 diameter, with a thin, red skin and a juicy, yellow flesh ; stone turgid. 

 Original distribution : Apparently a native of the western or south- 

 western portion of the Southern states, but it is not certainly known 

 in a wild state. The cultivated varieties of this species are given by 

 Professor Bailey as Newman, Arkansas, Lombard, Caddo Chief, Lone 

 Star, Jennie Lucas, Pottawatomie, and Robinson. 



Beach PlUxM {P. maritima Wang.) A low shrub, with ovate or 

 oval leaves ; fruit globular, one-half to one inch in diameter, with a 

 thick, tough, purple or crimson skin ; stone turgid. Original distribu- 

 tion : On the sands of the seacoast, from New Brunswick to Virginia. 

 This species has given rise, under cultivation, to a variety known as 

 Bassett's American. 



Sand Plum. (jP. vmtsoni Sarg.) A shrub six to ten feet high; 

 leaves ovate, acute, rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, finely cren- 

 ulate- serrate, lustrous on the upper surface, pale on the lower; flowers 

 pure white, in few-flowered clusters ; fruit globose, or rarely oblong, 

 orange-red, two-thirds of an inch in diameter, containing a yellow, 

 juicy flesh (edible, but slightly austere), and a turgid, smooth, but 

 porulose stone. Original distribution : Southern Nebraska to central 

 Kansas. 



Professor Sargent, whose description I have given slightly modi- 

 fied, says that "Its hardiness in regions of extreme cold, its compact, 

 dwarf habit, abundant flowers and handsome fruit make it an orna- 

 mental fruit of first-rate value, and, as selection and good cultivation 

 will doubtless improve the size and quality of the fruits, it will, per- 

 haps, become a valuable inmate of small-fruit gardens."* This is 

 the plant of which I wrote as follows in 1891 \\ "Occasionally I hear 

 of a 'Sand i^lum,' said to grow in the southwestern and western parts 

 of the state. No authentic specimens have been seen, although I 

 have in my collection some twigs and leaves from plants cultivated 

 under this name, and thought, by the growers, to have been taken 

 up from wild patches in the state. Although lacking in flowers or 

 fruits, these cultivated Sand plums appear to be P. chlcasa, the 

 Chickasaw plum. The leaves of these specimens are much smaller 

 than those of the ordinary wild plums ; they are also smoother and 

 firmer, and the margins have smaller serrations." I was mistaken in 

 supposing this to be the same as the Chickasaw plum, but, as Profes- 



* "Garden and Forest," April 4, 1894. 



t Preliminary Report on the Native Trees of Nebraska. Bull. Agr, Exp. 

 Station, No. 18. 



