136 Bush-Fruits 



and the raspberry, and to give a brilliant, rich garnet 

 color to the syrup. 



The wineberry (Japanese wineberry). This is a rasp- 

 berry which is found wild in the mountains of central and 

 northern Japan. Its botanical name, now well known, is 

 Rubus phcenicolasius. It forms a bush three to seven 

 feet high, with somewhat spreading and rambling canes, 

 which are thickly covered with bright red hairs and weak 

 prickles, standing out at right angles to the stem. The 

 leaves are light green and whitish below. The flowers 

 are very small, white, with large, hairy, viscous sepals, 

 which close over the fruit again after blooming and keep 

 it entirely covered until about ripening time, when they 

 again open. The berry is then white, but turns bright 

 red within two or three days, becoming sweet and agree- 

 able; said to be somewhat intermediate in flavor between 

 the red and the black raspberry. Seeds were sent from 

 Japan to J. T. Lovett, in the summer of 1887, by C. C. 

 Georgeson. In 1889 the stock raised from this seed was 

 sold to John Lewis Childs, who introduced it under the 

 name of Japanese wineberry. 1 The berry is of good size, 

 firm and handsome, and owing to its peculiar covering is 

 exempt from insect attacks. It has not shown any real 

 commercial value in the United States, being generally 

 tender and unproductive. It is a peculiar and attractive 

 plant, and well worth growing as an ornamental. It had 

 been known in this country and sold under its true bo- 

 tanical name by Ellwanger & Barry, and perhaps by other 

 nurserymen, long before its dissemination by Mr. Childs. 

 It was described in "The Gardener's Monthly" for 

 1 Amer. Gar., 1891, 204. 



