238 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



Pyrus axnericana. American Mountain Ash. 



Leaves odd-pinnate; leaflets 11 to 17, lanceolate, taper- 

 pointed, bright green above, generally paler beneath. Flow- 

 ers in large compound leafy cymes appearing in May or June. 

 Fruit usually 3-celled, globose or slightly pear-shaped, bright 

 red with thin flesh, one-fourth inch in diameter, ripens in late 

 autumn and remains on the tree all winter unless eaten by 

 birds. A small tree with smooth bark seldom reaching a 

 height of 30 feet and often a mere shrub. 



distribution. From Newfoundland to Manitoba and south- 

 wards through the more elevated portions of northeastern 

 United States and the region of the Great Lakes. It reaches 

 its greatest size north of Lake Superior and Lake Huron. In 

 Minnesota common through the northern part of the state 

 extending south to Pine and Mille Lacs counties. 



Propagation. The species is grown from seeds and the 

 varieties by budding and grafting. The seeds may be gath- 

 ered during the autumn, stratified over winter and sown in 

 the spring, but seeds thus treated will seldom start until the 

 second season. A better way is to put the seeds ten inches 

 deep in a hole and cover with three inches of sand in the 

 autumn. They should remain in such a place until a year 

 from the following spring when the berries will be thoroughly 

 rotted and the seeds may be sifted outfrom the pulp and sown. 

 Thus treated, they come up the season of planting. 



Properties of wood. Soft, light and weak, pale brown with 

 lighter colored sapwood. Specific gravity 0.5451; weight of 

 a cubic foot 33.97 pounds. 



Uses. The American Mountain Ash is used as an orna- 

 mental tree on account of its abundant bright colored fruit 

 but is not so pretty in this respect as the European or Elder- 

 leaf Mountain Ash. The trunk of the tree is liable to sun- 

 scald and when planted in exposed places it should be en- 

 couraged to send up sprouts from the roots and from the 

 lower parts of the trunk. Treated in this way it forms a large 

 shrub of great value from an ornamental point of view and is 

 very hardy even in exceedingly severe locations. The fruit is 

 astringent. It is used in some homeopathic and domestic 

 remedies. 



