SECTION MALUS 



This section of the genus Pyrus comprises the apples, which are deciduous 

 trees or shrubs, resembling the true pears in the occurrence of long and short shoots 

 and in the arrangement of the leaves. Leaves simple, often lobed, stalked. Flowers 

 in cymes, terminal on the short shoots ; sepals 5, acuminate, either persistent and 

 erect on the fruit or deciduous ; ovary usually 5-celled, rarely 3-celled ; styles united 

 at the base. Fruit with homogenous flesh, hollowed out or rounded at the base ; 

 with papery carpels joined at the apex, free in the middle. 



There are about ten species of apples, distributed in Europe, extra-tropical 

 Asia, and North America. The following synopsis gives a brief account of the wild 

 species, and of some of the more important hybrids, which are met with in 

 cultivation. 



I. Eumalus, Zabel, Laubholz-Benennung, 185 (1903). 



Leaves rolled inwards in the bud ; on adult trees, serrate, without lobes or 

 irregular teeth. 



* Calyx persistent on the fruit. 

 t Fruit depressed at both the base and apex. 



1. Pyrus Ma/us, Linnaeus. Seep. 1570. 



ft Fruit not depressed at the apex. 



2. Pyrus Ringo, Koch, Dendrologie, i. 213 (1869); Wenzig, in Linnaa, xxxviii. 



$y (1874); Stapf. in Bot. Mag. t. 8265 (1909). 



Branchlets more or less tomentose. Leaves elliptic-ovate, 2 to 3 in. long, 

 shortly acuminate, more or less tomentose beneath, finely and sharply serrate. 

 Fruit ovoid, about \\ in. long and 1 in. in diameter, yellow, hollowed at the 

 base, crowned by the persistent sepals, which are united together at their base. 



A small tree introduced by Siebold from Japan in 1856. It is supposed to 

 be a hybrid between P. Malus and P. spectabi/is. At Kew, it is very orna- 

 mental, when covered with its beautiful fruits ; and is represented by two trees, 

 one with densely tomentose leaves, the other with slightly tomentose leaves. 

 A pyramidal variety, var. fastigiata bifera, Dieck, is also known, which is 

 said to flower usually twice in the season. 



3. Pyrus spectabilis, Aiton, Hort. Kew. ii. 175 (1780). 



Branchlets slightly pubescent. Leaves oblong-elliptic, 2 to 3 in. long, 1 to 

 \\ in. broad, acute at the apex, pubescent on the midrib beneath and on the 

 petiole ; margin with minute close serrations, which are callous and mostly 

 incurved at their tips. Fruit globose, yellow, about 1 in. in diameter, not 

 hollowed out at the base, crowned by the persistent sepals, which are united 

 together at their base. 



A native of north China and Japan. Introduced in 1780, and often cultivated 



1566 





