Handbook of Treks of 



X< 



iiKRiY States axd Canada. 235 



The Prairie Crab is a small tree rarely if 

 ever exceeding 20 or 30 ft. in height or 12 to 

 18 in. in diameter of trunk. It develops a 

 spreading or rounded top of many rigid tor- 

 tuous branches beset with numerous short lat- 

 eral thorn-like spurs. From the sides of tiiese 

 thorns Leaves and flowers appear, while the 

 free tip is usually a very sharp rigid thorn. 



Like the other native apples its handsome 

 flowers are characterized by a delicious 

 fragrance, which makes the tree popular for 

 planting in shrubberies and door-yards. In 

 autumn its small yellow-green apples, with sur- 

 face seemingly covered with wax or grease and 

 of a strong characteristic fragrance, give it an 

 ornamental value at that season, and later 

 after the leaves have fallen. The attractive 

 appearance and odor of the fruit, however, 

 ends here, as in flavor it is too austere for 

 most tastes to be edible, though the juice is 

 sometimes used for making vinegar. 



The Bechtel Crab is a form recently intro- 

 duced with large double rose-colored flowers. 

 It is of signal merit for ornamental planting. 



The wood we have not examined, but it is 



said to be softer than that of tlie allied eastern 



species. 



Leaves ovate, oval or oblong, .3-4 in. long, 

 broad-cuneate or rounded at base, acute or rounded 

 at apex, crenate-serrate and on vigorous .shoots 

 with short acute or rounded lobes, at maturity 

 thick lustrous dark green above, tomentose be- 

 neath ; petioles stout, pubescent. FInirers IV" in. 

 across, in small clusters with pedicels and calyx 

 tomentose. Fruit mostly 1-1 Vj in. in diameter, 

 greenish yellow, fragrant, greasy and with stout 

 stems mostly %-l in. lowx. 



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