63 FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. 



very astringent ; it clings to the branch after the 

 leaves have fallen. 



The chokeberry is common from New England 

 to Florida ; westward its limitation is Minnesota, Illi- 

 nois, Missouri, and Louisiana. Pyrus nigra (Sargent) 

 is a species with broader, reverse, egg-shaped leaves, 

 earlier flowers, and larger black fruit, which soon falls. 



Nearly related to the chokeberry is the beautiful 

 mountain ash (Pyrus Americana), which, however, 

 is more of a tree than a shrub. Its pretty sumach- 

 like compound leaves, and its bright scarlet berries, 

 about as large as peas, are very often seen beside 

 the highways which lead through the Northern 

 States, and it may easily be identified by its aromatic 

 wild-cherry odor when bruised. Another species 

 with broader and somewhat blunt leaves, called Py- 

 rus sambucifolia, is common among the mountains of 

 northern New Hampshire and Yermont ; it is not 

 likely to be seen beside the road, however, unless 

 planted there. 



The last member of the Rose Family to which I 

 will draw attention is the Japan quince (Pyrus Ja- 

 ponica, or Cydonia Japonica). This is a familiar 

 roadside character of parks and gardens. In the Ar- 

 nold arboretum, near Boston, there are several va- 

 rieties of the beautiful shrub, which, it seems to me, 

 should be more commonly cultivated. These are P. 



