THE HORTULANA PLUMS 195 



and firm. Bhining, smooth, Bat, more or less peach- 

 like, ovate-lanceolate or ovate, long-pointed leaves, 

 which are mostly closely and obtusely glandulai 



and the Btalks of which are usually glandular. 

 In the wild state, it appears to follow the Mississippi 

 river from northern Illinois to Arkansas, in its mid- 

 dle region ranging as far east as eastern Kentucky 

 and Tennessee, and possibly to Maryland, and in 

 the southwest spreading over Texas. It is probable 

 that tin- large red plums of which Humphrey 

 Marshall had heard, over a century ago, as grow- 

 ing upon the Mississippi, and which he «-.-il 1«-<1 

 Prunus Mississippi, were of this hortulana group. 

 Marshall's complete description of this plum is as 

 follows: " I'm a us Mississippi. Crimson Plumb. This 

 grows naturally upon the Mississippi, ;in<l i- of 

 larger size than most of the other kinds. The 

 fruit are crimson coloured, and somewhat acid." 

 (Arbustrum American urn, 112.) 



To tin- group belong the Wild Goose, Miner, 

 ;m<l Way land, and their kin. It had not been 

 recognized and delimited by botanists as distinct 

 from other tribes of plums, and b« years ago, 

 when attempting a monograph of the cultivated 

 native plums, I proposed the b] tea Prunus hortu- 

 lana to designate the group. The name hortulana 

 chosen to record the fact that these interesting 

 plums were ftrsl Btudied by horticulturists rather 

 than by botanists. The varieties are intermediate 

 betweed the Americana and Chickasaw groups. The 

 fruits lark entirely the dull-colored, compressed, 

 thick-skinned and meat} characters of the Ameri- 

 and npproucli \<v\ closel} to the Chiokasaws. 



