AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



235 



Pruning Knives, &c. continued. 



turning, and for cutting circular holes in boards ; they 

 are carried very narrow at the point, and may be intro- 

 duced to cut off one branch without injuring another. 



PBiTTNOFSIS LINDLEYI. A synonym of Prunus 

 triloba (which see). 



P RUN US (the ancient Latin name of the Plum). 

 Pluin. OBD. Eosacece. This genus, as arranged, by Ben- 

 tham and Hooker, in the " Genera Plantarum," includes 

 Amygdalopsis, Amygdalus, Armeniaca, Ceraseidos, Cera- 

 sus, Laurocerasus, and Persica (making a total of about 

 eighty species) ; but, for horticultural purposes, it is, in 

 most cases, deemed proper to treat these genera sepa- 

 rately in this work. The species are evergreen or 

 deciduous, hardy trees or shrubs, mostly natives of the 

 temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, some 

 being found in tropical America, and rarely in tropical 

 Asia. Flowers white or pink, solitary, corymbosely fas- 

 ciculate, or disposed in racemes ; calyx deciduous ; tube 

 obconical, urceolate, or tubulose ; limb of five imbricated 

 lobes ; petals five, inserted at the month of the calyx ; 

 stamens fifteen to twenty, inserted with the petals. 

 Fruit a fleshy, often edible drupe, containing a smooth or 

 rugose, indehiscent or two-valved, one-seeded stone. 

 Leaves alternate, simple, frequently serrulated, compli- 

 cate or convolute in vernation. The species may be pro- 

 pagated by seeds, which should be stratified in autumn, 

 and sown in the following spring. They may also, with 

 the varieties, be readily increased by budding and graft- 

 ing. P. cerasifera is well adapted for planting to form 

 hedges ; the use of the Blackthorn or Sloe, P. spinosa, 

 is also well known for this purpose. P. divaricata, in- 

 variably one of the earliest-flowering shrubs or small 

 trees, is exceedingly ornamental, when the flowers escape 

 destruction by spring frosts. P. Pissardii has dark 

 foliage, which is effective when associated with light- 

 coloured or yellow-leaved shrubs. The double-flowered 

 form of P. sinensis may be grown in pots, and used 

 effectively for greenhouse decoration. It may readily 

 be propagated, in spring, from cuttings of tolerably firm 

 shoots ; and when plants are established, and their wood 

 well ripened, they force well. P. triloba may also be 

 grown in pots, but the best position for this species is 

 against a wall with a south or west aspect. For culture 



.us continued. 

 and varieties of the common Plum, see Plum, where will 

 be found further information applicable to the propa- 

 gation and cultivation of other species of Prunus. All 

 the species described below are hardy, decidnous trees 

 or shrubs, except where otherwise stated. 



FIG. 300. FRUIT AND LEAVES OK PRUNUS CIIAPRONH. 



Fie. 301. FLOWERING BRANCH OP PRUNUS PENNSYLVANIA. 

 P. amerioana (American). American Wild Yellow or Red 

 Plum. fl. white; pedicels few or several, in simple, umbel-like 

 clusters. April, fr. yellow, orange, or red, Jin. to jin., or in 

 cultivated states "lin. or more, in diameter, of a pleasant flavour, 

 but with a tough and acerb skin. I. ovate or somewhat obovate, 

 conspicuously pointed, coarsely or doubly serrated, glabrous 

 when mature, h. 8ft. to 20ft. North America, SYN. P. nigra 

 (B. M. 1117). 



P. biferum (twice-bearing), fl. large, white, apptar- 

 ing in April on the old wood, hi small, umbellate 

 clusters, those appearing later at the ends of young 

 shoots in short racemes, fr. stalked, regularly 

 elliptic ; skin smooth, glossy, tinted or spotted with 

 violet-rose, i. broadly oval, narrowed to both ends. 

 A vigorous-growing tree, of garden origin. For its 

 peculiarity in bearing flowers and fruit at the same 

 time, this curious Plum is worth growing. (R. H. 

 1875, 415.) 



P. cerasifera (Cherry -bearing).* Che.ry or Myro- 

 balan Plum. fl. white, nearly solitary, or fascicled 

 on short branches, pedunculate; calyx lobes re- 

 flexed ; petals obovate-oblong or orbicular. April. 

 fr. red, globose, with yellow flesh and an ovoid, acute 

 stone I. elliptic-obovate, acute, serrulated, glabrous 

 beneath. Branches unarmed ; branchlets highly gla- 

 brous. Native country uncertain. (B. M. 5934.) 

 P. Cerasua Bigarella (Bigarella). A synonym of 



Ceratut duracina. 



P. Chapronli (Chapron's). fr. shining red, dotted 

 with white, of an agreeable acid flavour, depressed 

 globose, about 14in. in diameter. I. elliptic, acute, 

 serrulate. 1883. A small, bushy tree, of unknown 

 origin. See Fig. 300. (R. H. 1881, 467.) 

 P. dasycarpa (thick-fruited.) This is the correct 

 name of the plant described in this work as Ar- 

 meniaca dasycarpa. 



P. divaricata (spreading).* fl. white, Jin. in dia- 

 meter, solitary ; calyx lobes recurved ; petals rounded, 

 concave. April, 'jr. yellow, lin. long, ellipsoid or 

 globose, i. contemporary with the flowers, lanceolate, 

 becoming more ovate and often sub-cordate at base, 

 2in. long, glabrous beneath ; petioles slender, h. 10ft. 

 to 12ft. Caucasus, Ac., 1822. A small tree, branching 

 at the base. (B. M. 6519.) 



