476 



The Thorn Trees 



stalks slightly long-haity, glandular, winged above, about 15 mm. long. The 



flowers are about 15 mm. broad, 

 un somewhat long-hairy, many- 

 flowered cor)'mbs; calyx-tube 

 nearly smooth; calyx- lobes trian- 

 gular, long-pointed, smooth on the 

 outside, shghtly long-hairy on the 

 inside, remotely glandular-toothed, 

 red-tipped; stamens about 10; 

 styles 3 or 4. The fruit, ripening 

 in September, is pear-shaped or 

 oblong, 8 to 12 mm. long, scarlet, 

 its calyx-lobes spreading, persist- 

 ent; the flesh is pulpy when ripe; 

 it contains 3 or 4 nutlets 6 to 8 

 Fig. 432. -Howell's Thorn. ^^^ long, ^6 to 7 mm. thick, 



strongly ridged on the back, with a shallow pit on each inner surface. 



43. ST. LAWRENCE THORN Crataegus laurentiana Sargent 



This thorn grows along the lower St. Lawrence River, and from northern 

 Michigan to British Columbia, eastern Oregon and central Colorado. It is a 

 many-branched shrub or a small tree 

 sometimes 5 meters high, with ir- 

 regular branches; the twigs are 

 shghtly hairy, soon becoming smooth, 

 bright orange-brown, and bear stout 

 chestnut-brown spines from 3 to 8 

 cm. long. 



The leaves are oblong to oblong- 

 ovate, sharply or bluntly pointed at 

 the apex, strongly wedge-shaped at 

 the base, sharply and doubly toothed, 

 with three to five pairs of pointed 

 lobes, 3 to 8 cm. long, 1.5 to 4 cm. broad, slightly hair}% particularly along the 

 veins when young, becoming smooth, except along the veins beneath, half- 

 leathery, dark green above, paler beneath; leaf-stalks slightly winged toward the 

 apex, hairy, becoming smooth, i to 2 cm. long. The flowers are about 15 mm. 

 broad, in many-flowered, whitish woolly-hairy cor}'mbs; calyx-tube densely white 

 woolly-hairy, the lanceolate, long-pointed lobes hairy or nearly smooth, glandular- 

 toothed; stamens about 10; anthers small, pale pink; styles 4 or 5. The fruit 

 ripens in September, is oblong, dark crimson, shghtly hairy, about 10 mm. long, 

 its calyx- lobes reflcxcd, persistent; the flesh is yellow, becoming soft, succulent 



Fig. 433. St. Lawrence Thorn. 



