THE PLUM ] 341 



c. Juliana Lin. (Poir.) The St. Julien plum, often 

 used as stock in continental Europe, with ovoid-globose, 

 violet or blue fruits, and an ovoid pointed stone. 



d. Armeniodes Ser. in D. C. with globose-yellow or 

 greenish-yellow fruits and an obtuse stone. 



Prunus spinosa Lin. The Black-thorn or Sloe- tree, 

 distinguished botanically by its solitary flowers and the 

 smooth calyx and peduncle. Its fruit is small, erect, dark 

 blue and very sour, and has an obtuse stone. It is a low 

 shrub, with ashy-white, divergent, spinous twigs, and 

 grows wild in our valleys and in old gardens. The leaves 

 may be ovate (forma ovata Ser. in D.C), or more 

 frequently narrow and lanceolate ( f. angustifolia Wimm. 

 et Grab.) ; the flowers are produced before the leaves, or 

 rarely along with them (/ coetanea Wimm. et Grab.), and 

 the fruit is sometimes fairly large (/ macrocarpa Wallr. 

 in D.C.). The sloe-tree is frequently used as stock for 

 the peach and the plum in continental Europe and is here 

 used as stock for the cultivated plums and the apricots. 

 It has practically the same resistance as P. insititia, but 

 at least here, seems to exercize a dwarfing influence on 

 the graft, and the quality of the fruit is supposed to be 

 inferior to that grafted on the wild Damson. The sloe- 

 tree has not given any variety yielding edible or useful 

 fruit, but the fruit of wild trees is sometimes used for 

 preserves. (M.=firam or prain salvagg. \\..~pru%noio, 

 pruno selvatico.) 



Primus myrobolana (Lin.) Lois. = P. divaricata Led 

 P. cerasifera Ehrh. The Myrobella plum, or weeping- 

 plum or cherry-plum (\.\..-=cilie%io-susino, amoli], is a 

 shrub with long divergent twigs and solitary flowers. 

 The fruit is red or yellow, pendulous, with an acutely 

 pointed stone. This plum is native of Central and 

 Western Asia, and under cultivation has yielded many 

 useful varieties (mirabelle plums). It is also occasionally 

 used as grafting stock for other cultivated plums. 



