236 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



Rose Family. 



A large family of trees, shrubs and herbs including many 

 of our cultivated fruits and ornamental plants. 



Genus PYBUS. 



Leaves simple or pinnately compound, flowers white or 

 rose colored, in corymbs, cymes, or clusters, perfect, regular; 

 stamens numerous; styles 5, (sometimes 2 or 3); carpels of 

 the same number, 2-seeded. Seeds in cells that are made up 

 of horny, parchment-like thin walls. Fruit a pome. 



Pyrus ioensis. Wild Crab. Western Crab. 



Leaves simple, oblong or obovate-oval, variously notched 

 and toothed; the lower surface as well as the leaf stalks, short 

 pedicels, and young growih, densely white pubescent. Flowers 

 rose-colored, fragrant, much like those of Pyi-us coronaria 

 with which this species was formerly classed and is now some- 

 time referred to as a variety. Fruit round, somewhat flat- 

 tened, dull green with small light dots, hard, bitter, keeps 

 through the winter. A small tree. 



Distribution. Minnesota and Wisconsin, south to Ken- 

 tucky and Indian Territory. 



Propagation. By seeds or by graftage. It does not form 

 a durable union with Pyrus malus although such unions may 

 last several years. 



Properties of wood. Heavy, close grained, not hard nor 

 strong; brown to light red in color with thick yellow sapwood. 

 Specific gravity 0.7048: weight of a cubic foot 43.92 pounds. 



Uses. The Wild Crab with its large fragrant flowers 

 forms a very pretty, small ornamental tree. The fruit is 

 made into preserves and cider. When growing in its natural 

 state, the tree is hardy and is seldom injured by fire-blight 

 but seems to be very much subject to this disease when culti- 

 vated, especially after it has been transplanted. 



