THE MYROBALAN PLUM 211 



two countries, and is homeli ss. Sereno Watson, in 

 his "Index to North American Botany," published in 

 1878, refers Ehrhart's Prunus cerasifera to the com- 

 mon beach plum [Prunus maritime) of the Atlantic 

 coast. Bui the myrobalan is wholly different in every 

 character from the beach plum, and it has been long 

 cultivated npon walls in Europe, a treatment which n<> 

 one would be likely to give to the little beach plum. 

 Torrey and Gray, in 1838, in the "Flora of North Amer- 

 ica," do aot mention the myrobalan plnm. After all 

 the exploration of the North American flora, no plant 

 has been found which could have been the original 

 of this plum : while its early cultivation in Europe, 

 together with the testimony of Clusius and other early 

 herbalists, is strong presumption that it is Dative to 

 the < M<1 World. This conviction is increased by the 

 doubt which exists in the minds of the leading bota- 

 nists, from Linnaeus down, as to its systematic 

 position, for it' there is difficulty in separating it from 

 Prunus domestica, the original of the common plum. 

 and which is itself a native of the Old World and 

 immensely variable, there is strong reason for suspect- 

 ing thai it is onlj an offshool of thai species; and this 

 presumption finds strong support in other direc- 

 tions. One aeed not study far int<. the European 

 plums until he convinces himself that tin- essential 

 features <-t' tin- myrobalan plum are present in 

 •ral "f the wild or half-wild tonus of southern and 

 southeastern Europe, no matter what the ultimate 

 origin of the fruit maj have been. In recent years a 

 purple-leaved variety of this myrobalan plum has 

 eome into cultivation from Persia, under the nam.' 

 "i !'> "■ • P reft. I have no doubt, therefore, thai 



