PRUNUS 



PRUNUS 



1449 



but in the West edible-fruited forms are found in abun- 

 dance. It is the most prolific source of cultivated native 

 Plums for the cold North. 



Var. nigra, Waugh {P. v)ijra,Aiton). Canada Plum. 

 Fig. 1982. Lvs. mostly broader, the petioles bearing 2 

 glands near the top: fls. larger, on slender dark red 

 pedicels, the calyx-lobes glandular-serrate and 

 glabrous on the inside: fr. mostly somewhat 

 -oblong and orange-red, the stone large and much 

 compressed. Newfoundland to Assiniboia, and 

 in New England, and probably descending into 

 the northern Mississippi vallej-. S.S. 4:149.— 

 A more showy tree than P. Americana, bloom- 

 ing earlier, and in its extreme forms appearing 

 to be very distinct, but there are all grades of 

 intermediate forms. It has given rise to some 

 of the best fruit-bearing varieties, such as the Cheney. 



Var. m611is, Torrey & Gray. Lvs. and shoots soft- 

 pubescent or sometimes almost tomentose. Iowa to 

 Texas. — To this form belong the Wolf and Van Buren 

 Plums. There is also a double-lid. variety. 



cc. Lvs. mostly as narrow as lanceolate-ovate, or else 

 small and shortish, thin or thinnish {except P. mari- 

 tima), finely and usually evenly serrate, becoming 

 glabrous or nearly so (except in forms of P. umbellata 

 and P. maritima) beneath at maturity: fr. mostly 

 thick-skinned. 



11. Allegheniensis, Porter. Allegheny Plum. Figo 

 1983. Tree 12-15 ft., or oftener a straggling bush, usu- 

 ally not thorny, the j'oung growth reddish and glabrous: 

 lvs. lance-ovate to elliptic-obovate, prominently acumi- 

 nate, sharply fine-serrate, pubescent on the veins be- 

 neath but becoming glabrous with age: fls. small ( }/i in. 

 across), white, in clusters of 2-5, appearing with the 

 lvs., the calyx minutelj' pubescent, the petals I'ound- 

 obovate: fr. globular, % in. or less in diam., dark 

 purple with a heavy bloom, acid in flavor and often aus- 

 tere. Mts. of Pa. S.S. 4:153. G.F. 3:429, from which 

 Fig. 1983 is reduced. — In a very limited way the species 

 has come into botanic gardens and collections. As an 

 ornamental subject it has merit, for it bears profusely 

 of flowers and fruit. The Plums, or "sloes," are collected 

 from the wild for the making of pies and preserves. 



12. umbeMta, Ell. Black Sloe of the South. Hoo 

 Plum (this name is also applied to forms of P. Ameri- 

 ■cana and P. gracilis ) . Twiggy small tree ( 10-20 ft. ) , with 

 very slender glabrous branchlets : lvs. small (2 in. or less 

 long), light green and rather thin, oblong, oblong- 

 ovate, oblong obovate, or sometimes broadly elliptic- 

 ovate, obtuse or nearly so, closely serrulate, sometimes 

 very closely pubescent beneath even at maturity: fls. 

 small to medium in size, in few-flowered umbels, appear- 

 ing with or just before the lvs.: fr. small, globular, 

 slender-stalked, from pure yellow to orange-yellow and 

 red-blotched, thinly glaucous, the flesh usually sour 



shape. The foliage suggests P. cerasifera. A species 

 recently described, P. injucunda. Small, from Stone 

 Moixntain, Oa., and not in the trade, is distinguished 

 from P. nmbellata by its "more 

 rigid habit and the foliage, in- 

 cluding the branchlets, is vel- 

 vety-tomentose. In place of the 

 subglobose drupe of P. umbella- 

 ta, we find an oblong fruit of an 

 extremely bitter taste. The stone 

 is correspondingly lengthened." 



1983. Prunus Allegheniensis (X 3^). 



and bitter and free from the stone. Near the coast 

 from S. Car. to Tex. S.S. 4:155. — Not introduced as a 

 fruit-plant, but sometimes planted for the profusion of 

 its white flowers. The fruit is not unlike a Cherry in 



1982. Prunus Americana, var. nigra (X 



13. maritima, Wangh. Beach Plum. Fig. 1984. De- 

 cumbent straggling more or less thorny bush with rough 

 and warty branches and slightly pubescent young 

 growth: lvs. oval or obovate-oval, short-acute or nearly 

 obtuse, closely serrate, dull green, often somewhat 

 pubescent beneath: fls. small, slender-stalked, in few- 

 flowered umbels preceding the lvs. : fr. about }4 in. in 

 diam., depressed-globular (somewhat flattened at tha 

 ends), with a slight cavity about the stem, mostly deep 

 dull purple when ripe and covered with a heavy bloom, 

 the flesh brittle and mostly sweet and juicy and free 

 from the small, tvirgid, cherry-like stone (which is 

 pointed at both ends), the skin thick, tough and more 

 or less acrid. Sands of the seashore. New Brunswick to 

 Virginia; also at the head of Lake Michigan. Gng. 4:257 

 (bush in bloom). — The main stems are decumbent, and 

 strong shoots stand upright to a height of 2-6 ft., or some- 

 times even 10-12 ft. P. maritima is a handsome plant in 

 cultivation because of the great profusion of its early 

 spring bloom, and the fruits, when produced, are also 

 ornamental. As a fruit plant it is known in the variety 

 Bassett American, which, however, has never become 

 popular because of its small size. The species is very 

 variable, and no doubt several botanical varieties could 

 be distinguished. Yellow-fruited forms are known. 



Species related to P. maritima, but not in the trade, 

 are P. Gr^vesii, Small, Connecticut, with orbicular very 

 obtuse and often apiculate lvs. and stone pointed only at 

 base. P. gracilis, Engelm. & Gray, Tenn. to Kans. and 

 Tex., a shrub not more than 4 or 5 ft. tall, soft-pubescent, 

 with small, oval-lanceolate lvs. and very small nearly 



