Pyrus 



J557 



A tree without thorns, attaining 60 ft. in height. Branchlets and buds 

 glabrous. Leaves, 3 to 4 in. long, ovate, acuminate, glabrous, glandular on 

 the midrib above, distinct from all the other species in the fine serrations with 

 long slender points. Fruit globose, about 1 in. in diameter. 



A native of China, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan. Introduced in 1820. It 

 is the Sha-li or " sand pear " of the Chinese. Many cultivated varieties are 

 known, some of which have proved useful in the United States, where this 

 species is an excellent ornamental tree, very vigorous in growth. 1 Trees at 

 Kew about 25 ft. high are very thriving. 2 



III. Leaves sharply serrate, the serrations without long points. 



3. Pyrus betulcefolia, Bunge, Enum. PL Chin. Bor. 27 (1834). 



A small tree without thorns. Branchlets and buds grey tomentose. Leaves, 

 i| to 2| in. long, ovate to ovate-rhombic, acuminate ; dark green and shining 

 above with glands on the midrib, lighter green beneath, both surfaces retaining 

 in summer traces of the tomentum with which they were covered in spring ; 

 petiole long, tomentose. Flowers with a two-celled ovary and two styles. Fruit 

 depressed-globose, about in. in diameter. 



A native of north China, where it is called tu-li. Introduced first in 1863 by 

 Simon 8 into the Jardin des Plantes at Paris; and subsequently by Bretschneider, 4 

 who sent seeds to Kew and the Arnold Arboretum 5 in 1882. A tree at Kew 

 of this origin, about 30 ft. high with pendent branches, is very thriving. 



4. Pyrus syriaca, Boissier, Diag. Nov. PI. Orient, x. 1 (1849). 



A shrub or small tree, usually thorny. Branchlets and buds glabrous. 

 Leaves, ij to 2 in. long, lanceolate or obovate ; acute, rounded, or mucronate 

 at the apex ; variable at the base, often very tapering, and decurrent on the 

 petiole ; glabrous ; sharply and finely serrate. Fruit turbinate, \\ in. in 

 diameter, with a thickened stalk. 



A native of Cyprus, Syria, Asia Minor, and Kurdistan. A small tree at 

 Kew, 6 about 15 ft. high, was obtained from Decaisne in 1874. 



IV. Leaves crenate in margin. 



* Leaves coriaceous in texture. 



5. Pyrus Korshinskyi, Litwinow, in Trav. Mus. Bot. Acad. Imp. Sc. St. Petersb. 



i. 17 (1902). 

 A tree, height not stated. Branchlets and buds grey tomentose. Leaves 

 coriaceous, about 3 in. long and \ \.o \\ in. broad, lanceolate or ovate-oblong, 

 more or less grey tomentose on both surfaces ; with coarse crenate or bi-crenate 



1 Cf. Bailey, Cyc. Am. Hort. 1470, 1471 (1901). 



* A tree at Kew labelled P. sinensis, with coarse sharp-pointed serrations to the leaves, is perhaps P. Balansa, Decaisne, 

 op. cit. t. 6 (1 87 1), raised from seed brought from Laristan in Persia. It is intermediate in foliage between /'. sinensis and 

 P. communis. 



3 Cf. Carriere, Rev. Hort. 1879, pp. 318, 319, where the plant is figured from specimens cultivated at Paris. 



4 Hist. Europ. Bot. Disc. China, 1053 (1898). 



" Cf. Garden and Forest, vii. 224 (1894), where a figure is given. 



6 This species has lieen confused with P. glabra, Boissier, Diag. Nov. PI. Orient, vi. 53 (1845), which is not in 

 cultivation. The latter, a native of Persia, differs from all the species, in having glabrous entire lanceolate leaves. 



