PYRUS 287 



likely to have been a seedling from P. , auricularis, which occasionally bears 

 fertile seed. As in the manner of hybrids, this rarely reproduces the mother 

 plant true. It is only necessary to recount the differences between this tree 

 and P. auricularis : Leaves shorter and comparatively broader, often roundish 

 oval, not so coarsely toothed, nearly always heart-shaped at the base, not so 

 much felted beneath ; flowers larger, i to ii ins. across, fewer on the corymb 

 and with stouter stalks, produced in late April and May. Fruit broadly top- 

 shaped, about 2 ins. long and wide, deep yellow when ripe. This interesting 

 and handsome tree, although not so common as the Bollwyller pear, is on the 

 whole more handsome. 



P. MALUS, Linnceus. CRAB APPLE. , 



The wild crab of W. Europe and N.W. Asia is of interest as being 

 the parent of the cultivated garden apples, and the type of one of the chief 

 sections of the genus. But for itself it need not be given a place in the 

 garden, as it is not so beautiful as the bulk of its numerous progeny. It is a 

 tree 20 to 30 ft. high, with a usually crooked trunk and a rounded head of 

 ultimately more or less pendulous branches, the young shoots, leaves, and 

 flower-stalks clothed more or less with greyish down. Leaves roundish oval 

 or ovate, i|- to 2| ins. long, round toothed, stalk about half as long. Flowers 

 white or rosy, in corymbs. Fruit red or yellow, round, crowned with 

 persistent calyx-lobes, and indented at the base where it joins the stalk. 

 Botanists find two distinct forms among the wild crabs, viz., var. SYLVESTRIS 

 or acerba and var. MITIS. Var. sylyestris is not so downy as the other, the 

 leaves and young shoots becoming smooth during the season. The fruit is 

 sourer. Var. mitis is considered to be the parent of the sweeter apples, and 

 all the younger parts of the plant are more woolly ; fruit-stalk shorter. 



Var. ASTRACANICA, Dumont. Red Astrachan Apple. Fruit bright red, 

 covered with plum-like bloom, long-stalked. 



Var. PARADISIACA. A dwarf variety of the mitis type and the famous 

 stock for grafting apples, known in nurseries as "Paradise stock." 



Var. PENDULA (Elise Rathke). A delightful tree with weeping branches 

 and abundant beautiful blossom followed by fine crops of handsome yellow 

 fruits of good flavour. 



CRABS. Among the ornamental trees of autumn a high place must be 

 given to several crabs, mostly of unrecorded but undoubtedly hybrid origin. 

 Such of them as are not certainly known to belong to the species of Pyrus 

 described on other pages (like baccata and prunifolia) may be mentioned here. 



Dartmouth or hyslop is of American origin. It has plum-like fruits covered 

 with a red-purple bloom, and may be partially derived from Red Astrachan. 



Fairy. Deep yellow, flushed with crimson. 



John Downie. Perhaps the finest of all crabs ; it was raised by Mr 

 E. Holmes in his nursery at Whittington, near Lichfield. Its fruits are 

 conical, i ins. long by i in. wide, tapering to the apex, bright orange and 

 scarlet, and produced in wonderfully profuse clusters. 



Orange. Fruits of a pretty pale yellow, i in. or so across. 



Transcendent. Fruit deep yellow, carmine on the sunny side. 



Transparent. Fruits translucent yellow with a red tinge on one side. 

 Long known in gardens. 



P. MELANOCARPA, Willdenow. BLACK CHOKEBERRY. 



(P. nigra, Sargent; Aronia melanocarpa, Nuttall ; Sorbus melanocarpa, Heynhold^ 



A shrub 3 to 5. ft. high, of bushy, flat-topped habit, producing sucker 

 growths from the base ; branchlets smooth, or somewhat downy. Leaves 



