238 PRUNUS 



Native of California, and too tender to be of much value in any but the 

 mildest parts of the British Isles. It has borne flowers at Kew on a wall, but 

 even there is killed or injured by our hardest winters. 



Another N. American cherry laurel, but from the east side P. CAROLINIAN A, 

 Aiton is equally tender. Loudon states that in 1833 there was a bush 10 ft. 

 high at Swallowfield in Hampshire, but this is very doubtful. It was 

 probably some form of common cherry laurel, wrongly named. P. caroliniana 

 has entire leaves 3 to 4^ ins. long, oblong-lanceolate ; flowers creamy white, 

 in short racemes ; and black, shining, oblong fruit, ^ in. long. A native of 

 S.E. United States, where it is used, much as the common laurel is here, to 

 make hedges. Originally introduced in 1759, and many times since, it has 

 never long survived, unless it be in some of the south-western counties. 



P. INCANA, Stevens. WILLOW CHERRY. 

 (Bot. Reg. 25, t. 58 ; Amygdalus incana, Pallas ; Cerasus incana, Boissier.) 



A deciduous shrub, 4 to 8 ft. high, of rather open, loose habit ; shoots 

 minutely downy. Leaves oval-lanceolate or obovate, pointed, ii to 3 ins. 

 long, -g- to ins. wide ; regularly, finely, and sharply toothed, tapering towards 

 both ends, dark green and smooth above, covered with a close white wool 

 beneath. Flowers in. across, borne singly from the buds of the previous 

 year's shoots ; petals deep rosy red ; calyx i in. long, tubular, with*five short, 

 rounded, downy lobes. Fruit smooth, red, J in. across. 



Native of S.E. Europe and Asia Minor; introduced in 1815. Its flowers 

 appear in April along with the young leaves, and it is then very pretty. 

 Sometimes confused with P. nana, it is easily distinguished from that and 

 most other species by the close white felt on the under-surface of the willow- 

 like leaves. The fruit is quite different from that of P. nana, being cherry-like. 



P. INSITITIA, Linnceus. BULLACE. 



A small deciduous tree with foliage similar to that of P. communis, but 

 with some of its branches 'spiny. Fruit globular, f in. diameter, black or 

 yellow ; several white-fruited varieties are grown in orchards. The bullace 

 is a native of Britain and other parts of Europe. Being found in many 

 hedgerows, the typical form scarcely deserves a place in the arboretum, but 

 the double-flowered variety is more ornamental. P. spinosa, insititia, and 

 communis are by some authorities considered as all forms of one species. It 

 is easy enough to distinguish P. spinosa by its black bark, its small, sharply 

 toothed leaves, and small, round, black fruits. But P. insititia and communis 

 are more closely allied ; they both have brown bark, larger and more bluntly 

 toothed leaves, but the fruit of the bullace is round, and often white or yellow, 

 whilst the plum is black and oval. Intermediate forms occur, of which the 

 damson is one, having an oval, purple, sour fruit. (The damsons take their 

 name from Damascus, where they have been cultivated since before the 

 Christian era.) The Mirabelle group of plums, with round, yellow fruits, acid 

 and sweet, belongs to P. insititia. 



P. JACQUEMONTII, Hooker fit. AFGHAN CHERRY. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 6976 ; Amygdalus humilis, Edgeworth.*) 



A deciduous bush up to 12 ft. high, with smo.oth, slender, grey branchlets. 

 Leaves ovate to obovate, pointed at both ends, up to 2^ ins. long, by i in. 

 wide ; smooth, sharply and regularly toothed ; stalk J in. long. Flowers one to 



