DECIDUOUS ORNAMENTAL TREES. 229 



berries of the former seemed to shoot out ; their color 

 heightened by the dark back ground of evergreen 

 boughs. 



The American Mountain ash {Pyrus Americana) is a 

 native of the mountains along the banks of the Hudson, and 

 other cold and elevated situations in the north of the United 

 States : on the Catskill we have seen some handsome speci- 

 mens near the Mountain House ; but generally it does not 

 grow in so comely a shape, or form so handsome a tree 

 as the foreign sort. In the general appearance of the leaves 

 and blossoms, however, it so nearly resembles the European 

 as to be thought merely a variety by some botanists. The 

 chief difference between them appears to be in the color 

 of the fruit, which on our native tree is copper colored or 

 dull purplish red. It may probably assume a handsome 

 shape when cultivated. 



The Sorb or Service tree {Pyrus Sorbus) is an interest- 

 mg species of Pyrus, a native of Europe, which is sometimes 

 seen in our gardens, and deserves a place for its handsome 

 foliage and its clusters of fruit ; which somewhat resemble 

 those of the Mountain ash, and are often eaten when in a 

 state of incipient decay. The leaves are coarser than those 

 of the Mountain ash, and the tree is larger, often attaining 

 the height of 50 or 60 feet in its native soil. 



The White Beam (Pyrus Aria) is another foreign species, 

 also bearing bunches of handsome scarlet berries, and clus- 

 ters of white flowers. The leaves, however, are not pin- 

 nated, but simply serrated on the margin. It grows 30 feet 

 nigh, and as the foliage is dark green on the upper side, and 

 downy white beneath, it presents an effect greatly resem- 

 bling that of the Silver poplar in a sligll breeze. Abroad, 



