PRUNUS 227 



April when in ordinary leafless condition, and in ordinary clusters ; it then 

 goes out of flower until the new shoots are a few inches long (early June), 

 when it commences to blossom again, and continues to do so until September. 

 These second flowers, however, are produced singly from the leaf-axils, and 

 from the ends of the young leaf-bearing shoots. This variety in reality 

 produces during the growing season the flowers which ought normally to be 

 (and are in other cherries) produced simultaneously the following spring. 

 By the time the later flowers are open the earlier ones' have developed -fruit, 

 which is acid, but pleasantly flavoured. An interesting and attractive lawn 

 tree. 



P. EMINBNS, Beck, a pretty small tree similar to P. acida in flower, but 

 of more open growth'; is described as a hybrid between it and P. fruticosa. 



P. ALLEGHANIENSIS, Porter. AMERICAN SLOE. 

 (Garden and Forest, 1890, fig. 53.) 



A small deciduous tree, sometimes up to 20 ft. high, but often a shrub a 

 few feet high ; branches erect, rigid, smooth except when quite young, ultimately 

 almost black, the spur-like growths sometimes terminating in a spine. Leaves 

 ovate or oval-lanceolate, pointed, finely and sharply toothed ; 2 to 3^ ins. long, 

 f to \\ ins. wide ; downy on the midrib beneath ; stalk J in. long, downy, 

 without glands. Flowers \ in. across, produced in April in stalkless umbel- 

 like clusters of two to five, each flower on a slender stalk j to ^ in. long ; 

 petals rather dull white, turning pink with age ; calyx funnel-shaped at the 

 base, with ovate-oblong lobes, downy. Fruit round or slightly elongated, 

 \ to |- in. diameter, reddish purple, covered with blue bloom. 



Native of the Allegheny Mts. in Pennsylvania, where its fruits are known 

 as sloes, and used for preserving, etc. It does not appear to have been 

 recognised in the United States as a distinct species until 1877, when it was 

 named as above. First introduced in 1892 from the Arnold Arboretum to 

 Kew, where it has grown and flowered very well, but has not fruited. It 

 is allied to P. americana, but differs in its blue fruits. 



P. AMERICANA, Marshall. AMERICAN RED PLUM. 



A deciduous tree, 12 to 20, occasionally over 30 ft. high, of graceful habit, 

 with the trunk dividing low down ; branches pendulous towards the ends ; 

 young shoots smooth or slightly downy. Leaves oval or obovate, tapering 

 abruptly to a drawn-out point ; 3 to 4 ins. long, i J to if ins. wide ; sharply 

 and often doubly toothed, smooth except for tufts of down along the midrib in 

 the axils of the veins ; stalk -^ to f in. long ; downy and without glands. 

 Flowers I in. across, pure white, produced two to five together in stalkless 

 umbels, each flower on a slender smooth stalk f to I in. long ; calyx reddish, 

 lobes entire, hairy within. Fruit round or nearly so, I in. or less in diameter, 

 first yellow, finally bright red ; flesh yellow. 



Native of the United States, where it is widely spread, reaching as far 

 west as the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It and varieties derived 

 from it are now largely grown in the eastern United States for the fruits. 

 It has not yet borne fruit freely in Britain, although it flowers very well. 

 The flowers have a faint and rather unpleasant odour. It is said to be 

 extremely handsome when loaded with its red and yellow fruits. It may 

 be distinguished from P. hortulana and P. nigra by the non-glandular leaf- 

 stalks, and from P. alleghaniensis by the colour of its fruits and more graceful 

 habit. 



