1448 



PRUNUS 



PRUNUS 



ifeaved forms of the Plum. When the Plum runs wild 

 it usually reverts to this form. Some of the Damsons 

 (as the French, Shropshire, Farleigh) are commercial 

 orchard varieties, being used for culinary purposes. 

 There is mucli difference of opinion as to the systematic 

 position of the Plum designated by Liunasus as P. in- 

 sititia, but it is clear that it is intermediate between 

 P. domestica and P. spinosa. It is probably one stage 

 in the reversion of the Plum towards P. spinosa. It 

 seems to be indistinguishable from var. Damascena, 

 when this variety is taken iu its large sense. 



Other forms of Plums have received Latin class- 

 names, as var. maliformis, Linn. (P. Syriaca, Dipp.), 

 including the Mirabelle (a small-leaved form with 

 small yellow fruit, not unlike the Damsons) and others; 

 var. Cer^ola, Linn., the Green Gages or Reine Claudes; 

 var. Galat6nsis, Auth., the Prunes. 



BB. Oriental Plums: Ivs. relatively longer (mosth/ 

 ohlong-obovate), not roughened or pubescent, often 

 shining, the young twigs glabrous or nearly so. 



8. trifldra, Roxbg. (P. Japonica, Hort., not Thunb. 

 P. -ffa'Wffiw, Tamari). Japanese Plum. Pig. 1980. Plate 

 XXX. Strong-growing small tree, with smooth often 

 shining reddish or cinnamon-brown twigs: Ivs. mostly 

 oblong - obovate, abruptly but prominently pointed, 

 closely obtuse-serrate, the veins looping near the mar- 

 gin, bright often shining green above and dull beneath: 

 tis. few from each bud (most commonly about 3), showy, 

 white or very nearly so, slender-stalked: fr. various, 

 mostly large and firm, yellow or light red (never blue- 

 purple) with pronounced suture and tending to be 

 pointed at the apes, R.H. 1895:100. — Probably Chinese, 

 but introduced into this country from Japan (in 1870), 

 and now widely distributed and much grown for its fruit. 

 The Japanese Plum is hardy, in some of its varieties, 

 as far north as Ottawa. It is prized because of its 

 great productiveness, long-keeping qualities and beauty 

 of its fruit, and its relative immunity from black-knot. 

 As a class, the fruit is of lower quality than the 

 domestica Plums. The season of the Japanese Plums 



begins considerably in advance of the domesticas and 

 holds nearly as late. The greater number of the varie- 

 ties are clingstones, but there are some freestones 

 among them. A race of hybrids with P. hortulana and 

 P. angustifolia is now appearing. 





1980. Prunus triflora— Japanese Plum. 

 From specimens in the herbarium at the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



i981. Prunus Americana, as it 



grows wild in New York (X 1-5), 

 See No. 10. 



BBB. American ornative Plums: Ivs. relatively narrow 

 and smooth and the young growth glabro%is (P. 

 subco7-data and P. Americana partial excep- 

 tions), the fruit comparatively small and in 

 shades of yellow and red, never deep blue- 

 purple. 

 C. Lrs. mostly broad and thick, pubescent or roughish 

 beneath, very sharply serrate or even jagged: fr. 

 thick-skinned. 



9. subcord^ta, Benth. Small tree or bush, usually 

 only a few feet high: Ivs. round-ovate, obtuse, broad or 

 subcordate at base, either sharply or obtusely serrate, 

 thick, soft-pubescent beneath: fls. white fading to rose, 

 less than 1 in. across, in clusters of 4 or less and appear- 

 ing before the leaves : fr. globular or short-oblong, usu- 

 ally dark red, in the largest wild forms somewhat over 

 1 in. in diam., the flesh subacid and clinging to the flat 

 smooth stone. High lands and mountains, N. Calif, and 

 Oregon. S.S. 4:154. — The fruit is gathered for domes- 

 tic uses, and the tree is sometimes planted about settle- 

 ments. It varies much, and the greater part of the 

 trees do not produce agreeable fruit. In many cases it 

 is only a tree-like bush. The bark is blackish, and is 

 sometimes pubescent on young shoots. 



Var. K^Uoggii, Lemmon. Sisson Plum. Taller and 

 more slender: l>ark ash-gray: Ivs. not cordate, orbicu- 

 lar or elliptical, nearly glabrous: fr. larger (1 in. or more 

 long), ovate, yellow or red, the flesh soft and palatable. 

 Northern California. Much recommended by Mr. Sisson, 

 near Mt. Shasta, whose name it bears. This Plum is 

 now planted in many places in California. It is superior 

 to P. subcordata itself. The tree rarely exceeds 15 ft. 

 in height and 4— G in. in diameter of trunk. 



10. Americana, Marsh. ( P. !rea-aw«,Scheele). Pig. 1981. 

 Plate XXX. Small, twiggy, spreading, usually thorny 

 tree with gray branches or gray-brown twigs : Ivs. obo- 

 vate, oblong-obovate or sometimes oblong-ovate, acumi- 

 nate, thickish, the margins mostly sharp-serrate or some- 

 times almost incised, not glossy, strongly reticulated 

 beneath and pubescent on the veins: fls. large, white, 

 slender-stalked, the calyx-lobes entire and pubescent on 

 the inside, appearing in small clusters in advance of 

 the Ivs. : fr. various, but mostly small and hard, the 

 skin tough and glaucous and not shining, yellow and 

 variously overlaid with red; stone turgid. Woods and 

 copses. New York to Colorado and Texas. It sometimes 

 reaches a height of 15-20 ft. S.S. 4:150.— In the East, 

 the fruits are usually austere, and often fit for eating-; 



