APPLES 



59 



2. The Pears (Eupirus), with pear- 

 shaped fruit, containing granular flesh; 

 leaves simple. 



3. The Beam-Trees (Aria), with pear- 

 shaped or globose fruit, containing gran- 

 ular flesh; leaves simple. 



4. The Choke-Berries (Aronia), with 

 berry-like, pear-shaped, or globose fruits, 

 and simple leaves. 



5. The Dwarf-Apples (Micromeles), 

 with small apple-like, two to three celled 

 fruits, and simple leaves. 



6. The Mountain Ashes (Sorbus), with 

 berry-like mostly three-celled fruits, and 

 compound leaves. 



Here the species of the first sub-genus 

 only will be noticed, inasmuch as they 

 alone are properly entitled to the name 

 "Apple." All the species considered are 

 of more or less horticultural interest. 



Tlie Apple Species 



Section 1. Calyx-lobes persistent upon 

 the ripe fruit; styles five; fruits five- 

 celled. 



A. Leaves folded in the hud, more or 

 less pinnately lobed; flowers white or 

 pink; trees more or less thorny. 



1. Eastern Apple (Pirus coronaria L.) 

 Leaves ovate to triangular-ovate, sharply 

 cut-serrate, and often three-lobed; twigs 

 and leaves soon smooth; flowers on 

 smooth pedicels; ripe depressed globose, 

 yellow-green, one to one and one-half 

 inches in diameter. A shrub 8 to 10 feet, 

 or small tree 20 to 30 feet high. Native 

 of North America, from New York to 

 Michigan, and south to Georgia and Ala- 

 bama, and frequently planted for orna- 

 mental purposes. 



2. Prairie Apple (Pirus ioensis [Woodl 

 Bailey). Leaves elliptic-oblong to ovate- 

 oblong; irregularly and obtusely toothed; 

 twigs and under surface of leaves white- 

 woolly; flowers on white- woolly pedicels; 

 ripe fruit depressed-globose, yellow-green, 

 one to two inches in diameter. A shrub 

 or tree like the preceding. Native of the 

 Mississippi valley. This is probably the 

 parent form of the "Soulard Crab," which 

 Professor Bailey has described as P. soii- 

 lardi. 



3. Southern Apple (Pirns aiigustifolia 

 Ait.). Leaves lanceolate-oblong, coarsely 



and bluntly toothed; twigs and leaves 

 soon smooth; flowers on smooth pedicels; 

 ripe fruit depressed-globose, yellow-green, 

 three-fourths to one inch in diameter. A 

 shrub or tree like the preceding, native 

 from Pennsylvania to Florida, and west 

 to the Mississippi valley, and frequently 

 planted for ornamental purposes. 



It is probable that the three foregoing 

 species are but geographical varieties of 

 one species, as they show easy gradations 

 from one to the other. The Prairie apple 

 appears to be the most valuable, and as 

 a consequence it is the most promising 

 as a stock for the development of cul- 

 tivated varieties. 

 B. Leaves rolled in the bud, not lobed. 



(a.) Fruit crowned by the caly.x lobes 

 only (not by a tube). 



4. Smooth Wild Apple (Pirus silves- 

 tris [Mill.] Koch). Leaves ovate, cre- 

 nate, when young hairy, when old smooth, 

 or nearly so; twigs at first sparsely 

 hairy, becoming smooth, flower-stalk and 

 calyx mostly smooth; fruit yellowish or 

 reddish, three-fourths inch in diameter 

 on a stalk about as long, very sour and 

 bitter. A tree 25 to 30 feet high, native 

 of Central Europe. 



5. Hairy Wild Apple (Pirus mains L.). 

 Leaves ovate or elliptical, crenate, more 

 or less hairy, as are the twigs also; 

 flower stalk and calyx white-woolly; fruit 

 longer than its stalk, larger than the 

 preceding, from sour to sweet. Two quite 

 well marked wild varieties are commonly 

 recognized as follows: 



var. dasyphylla, a tree of moderate size 

 with horizontal branches, bearing large 

 leaves (3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 2% 

 broad). Native of the Orient. 



var. ptimila, a shrub or small tree, na- 

 tive of Southeast Russia, the Caucasus, 

 Tartarj-, etc. From this variety have 

 come the dwarf apple known as Paradise 

 and Doucain apples, so frequently used 

 by propagators for dwarfing the larger 

 cultivated sorts. 



This species with its varieties appears 

 to have given rise to most of the culti- 

 vated apples of the world. It is doubt- 

 ful whether the preceding species (P. 

 silvestris) should be kept distinct from 



