1446 



PRUNUS 



PRUNUS 



INDEX TO THE LATIN NAMES. 



Focke (Engler & Prantl, Pflanzenf amilien ) makes 7 

 subgenera in Prunus, 5 of which may be admitted here : 

 A. Lvs. convolute in the bud (f. e., rolled 

 up, showing well as the Ivs. begin to 

 emerge from the bud): ovary usually 

 furrowed lengthwise. There are ex- 

 ceptions in some of the American 

 native plums (Nos. 10, 11, 14, 15) in 

 which the Ivs. are conduplicale in 

 vernation: these species and their 

 allies are intermediate between the 



true plums and the cherries 



I. PRUNOPHORA (Nos. 1-15) 

 AA. Lvs. folded or conduplicate (trough- 

 shaped, folded lengthwise along the 

 midrib) in the bud. 



B. Fruit very juicy, glabrous or only 

 very slightly hairy: stone smooth 

 or roughish. 



C. Fls. in fascicles or cymes 



II. CERASUS (Nos. 16-28) 



CO. Fls. in racemes III. PADUS (Nos. 29-35) 



BB. Fruit normally soft-hairy (except in 

 42 var.): stone or pit often fur 

 rowed and pitted. 



c. Flower-cup (usually called calyx- 

 tube) tubular 



IV. OH AM^: AMYGDALUS (Nos. 36-37) 

 cc. Flower -cup short and wide- 



spreading V. AMYGDALUS (Nos. 38-44) 



For horticultural purposes, these five main groups may 

 be illustrated as follows : 



1. Plums and apricots I. PRUNOPHORA 



2. Common or fascicled cherries .11. CERASUS, 



3. Racemose cherries III. PADUS. 



4. Dwarf almonds IV. CHAM^EAMYGDALUS 



5. Almonds and peaches V. AMYGDALUS 



SUBGENUS I. PRUNOPHORA. Apricots and Plums. 



Fruit sulcate, glabrous and usually glaucous (except 

 in the apricots), the stone compressed and usually 

 longer than broad and smooth or nearly so: fls. solitary 

 or in umbel-like cymes, mostly appearing before the Ivs. 

 or with them: Ivs. mostly convolute in vernation, gen- 

 erally ovate or lance-ovate. 



A. APRICOTS, the fls. solitary or hi 2's, before the Ivs. 

 and the fr. velvety (at least until ripe): stone 

 usually silicate on the margin: peduncle separat- 

 ing from the mature fruit. 



1. Armeniaca, Linn. (Armeniaca vulgaris, Lam.). 

 COMMON APRICOT. Figs. 113-117. Small round-topped 

 tree with reddish bark much like that of the peach tree : 

 Ivs. ovate to round-ovate, sometimes slightly cordate at 

 the base, abruptly short - pointed, glabrous (at least 

 above), closely serrate, the stalks stout and gland-bear- 

 ing: fls. pinkish, solitary and sessile or very nearly so, 

 appearing from lateral buds of last year's growth 

 (sometimes on short year-old spurs) before the Ivs.: fr. 

 variable, nearly smooth when ripe, short-stalked like a 

 peach, usually somewhat flattened, mostly yellow and 

 overlaid more or less with red, the stone flat and smooth, 

 ridged or sulcate on one edge. Said by Focke to be 

 native of Turkestan and Mongolia; by some regarded 

 as Chinese. It early reached Europe, where it was once 

 supposed to be native of Armenia, whence the name 

 Armeniaca. The Russian Apricot is a hardy race of 

 this species. See Apricot and Figs. 113-117 in Vol. I. 

 The smooth -fruited Apricot, P. Brigantiaca, Vill., is 

 regarded by Dippel as a form of this species, var. 

 Brigantiaca, Dipp. Shrub or small tree, with smaller 

 Ivs. and smaller smooth subacid fruit. Probably a cul- 

 tural variety. Run wild in southern France and Pied- 

 mont. 



2. Sibirica, Linn. (P. 

 Armeniaca, var. Sibir- 

 ica, K. Koch). SIBER- 

 IAN APRICOT. Fig. 1977. 

 Bush or small tree : Ivs. 

 ovate to narrow-ovate, 

 long pointed, strongly 

 and often incisely 

 toothed: fls. white or 

 pink, appearing early 

 in the season and usu- 

 ally in great profusion : 

 fr. globular, rarely 

 more than % in. in 

 diam., yellow with a 

 reddish cheek, scarcely 



fleshy, practically inedible. Mongolia, Dahuria. L.B.C. 

 17:1627. Sometimes planted as an ornamental bush. 



3. dasycarpa, Ehrh. (P. Armeniaca, var. dasycarpa, 

 K. Koch). PURPLE or BLACK APRICOT. Small tree, of 

 the stature of the common Apricot: Ivs. smaller and 

 narrower, mostly elliptic-ovate, finely and closely ser- 

 rate, thin, dull green, the stalks slender and nearly or 

 quite glandless: fls. large and long-stalked, showy: fr. 

 globular and plum-like on a distinct stem, pubescent at 

 maturity, dark purple, the flesh soft and sourish ; stone 

 fuzzy. Probably native to Manchuria. B.R. 15:1243. 

 L.B.C. 13:1250. Sometimes planted, mostly as an orna- 

 mental tree, for the fruit has little value compared to 

 that of the common Apricot. Hardy in the North. Has 

 every appearance of being a distinct species. 



4. Mume, Sieb. & Zucc. JAPANESE APRICOT. Fig. 1978. 

 Tree of the dimensions of the common Apricot, but the 

 bark greenish or gray and the foliage duller in color: 

 Ivs. relatively small, narrow-ovate to nearly round-ovate, 

 long-pointed, finely and sharply serrate, more or less 

 scabrous, lighter colored beneath, the petioles mostly 

 gland-bearing: fls. sessile or nearly so, fragrant: fr. 

 mostly smaller than that of P. Armeniaca, yellow or 

 greenish, the dry flesh adhering to the pitted stone. 

 Japan, where it is much grown for its flowers. Gn. 

 50:1081. R.H. 1885:564. Planted to some extent in the 

 South, particularly in the form known as Bungo or 

 Bongoume Apricot or plum, but of minor value. When 

 top-worked on plum, it withstands the winters of cen- 



1977. Prunus Sibirica (X 



