PRUNUS 247 



little economic value, although the timber, when available, is valued by 

 cabinet-makers, and the fruit (according to Loudon) has been used to flavour 

 brandy and home-made wines. 



P. PENDULA. Maximowicz. ROSEBUD CHERRY. 



(Cerasus pendula rosea, Dombrain.} 



A deciduous tree with pendulous branches, ultimately 50 to 60 ft. high in 

 Japan, but usually under 25 ft. high in this country ; branchlets hairy. Leaves 

 2^ to 3^ ins. long, more than one-third as wide ; lanceolate, long-pointed ; 

 sharply, often doubly-toothed, hairy beneath, especially on the midrib and 

 veins, and above in the groove of the midrib ; glandular near the base ; stalk 

 ^ to ^ in. long. Flowers f in. across, pale rose, produced during March in short- 

 stalked clusters of two to seven, each flower on a downy stalk | in. or more 

 long; calyx hairy. Fruit a small, globose cherry, black and shining when ripe. 



Introduced from Japan ; where Sargent describes it as 50 to 60 ft. high, 

 with wide-spreading, fountain-like heads of branches, and not uncommon in 

 old temple gardens. Possibly it and P. subhirtella are forms of the same 

 species, but it is not a mere pendulous sport, for it comes true from seed, 

 and it also differs in having longer flower-stalks, and a more hairy calyx with 

 longer-pointed lobes. In my experience it is liable to injury of leaf, shoot, 

 and flower, by late spring frosts, and does not succeed generally so well as 

 P. subhirtella. Seen at its best it is one of the loveliest of all trees. 



In gardens there is a tree very similar in general appearance to the 

 above, and known as "Cerasus pendula carnea," but still distinct. It has 

 the same pendulous branches, but the flowers are borne on longer-stalked 

 corymbs, and there are several bracts where the flower-stalks join the common 

 stalk; calyx nearly or quite smooth. 



P. PENNSYLVANIA, Linnceus fit. WILD RED CHERRY. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 8486 ; Cerasus pennsylvanica, Loiseleur.~) 



A deciduous tree reaching 30 to 40 ft. in height, with a trunk ij- ft. in 

 diameter ; bark bitter, aromatic, reddish and shining on the young shoots. 

 Leaves ovate, long-pointed ; 3 to 4^ ins. long, f to i ins. wide ; smooth, 

 bright green, finely toothed, the teeth much incurved and gland-tipped ; 

 stalk smooth, \ in. long, with one or two glands at the top. Flowers in. 

 across, white, produced four to ten together in umbellate clusters or short 

 racemes, each flower on a slender smooth stalk f in. long ; petals round, 

 downy outside at the base ; calyx smooth, with rounded lobes. Fruit round, 

 \ in. diameter, red. 



Native of N. America, where it is very widely spread ; introduced to 

 England in 1773. It flowers very freely in this country at the end of April 

 and in May when the leaves are half-grown, and is very beautiful then. 

 According to Sargent it is a short-lived tree, but plays an important part in 

 the preservation and reproduction of N. American forests. Its abundant 

 seed is freely distributed by birds, and the rapidly growing young trees give 

 valuable shelter to the other trees longer-lived than they are, which ultimately 

 suppress them. It might be planted in thin woodland, in places where our 

 native P. Avium thrives. 



P. PERSICA, Stokes. PEACH. 



(Persica vulgaris, Miller ; Amygdalus Persica, 



A deciduous tree, 20 ft. high, of bushy habit ; branchlets smooth. Leaves 

 lanceolate, 3 to 6 ins. long, f to \\ ins. wide ; long-pointed, finely toothed, 



