CHAPTER XIII 

 DECIDUOUS FRUITS 



TREES that shed all their leaves at approximately the same 

 time are deciduous, while those that retain their foliage the 

 year round and shed their leaves gradually are said to be 

 evergreen. 



Many of the deciduous fruit-trees belong to that botanical 

 group known as the Rose family. The Rosacese is divided 

 into five or six sub-families or tribes, each of which contains 

 some of the best known fruits and flowers. The Pome tribe 

 includes the apple, pear, quince, and hawthorn. The Bramble 

 tribe contains the blackberry, raspberry, and dewberry. The 

 Drupe tribe is represented by the peach, plum, nectarine, 

 cherry, and apricot. The strawberry belongs to another 

 group known as the Potentilla tribe. The Rose tribe in- 

 cludes the familiar ornamental plants of the same name. 



275. The apple. The history of the apple is obscure. 

 It probably originated in southwestern Asia, but apples are 

 found wild in many parts of the world. There are several wild 

 species in Europe and Asia. According to Bailey, at least 

 five types are native to the United States : the Oregon crab- 

 apple, from Alaska to northern California ; two species in the 

 Mississippi Valley, the Garland crab in the North (which 

 may represent more than one species) and the narrow-leaved 

 crab in the South; the Prairie States crab, wild in Minnesota, 

 Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas; and the 

 Soulard crab, which is sometimes considered a cultivated 

 variety, but which Bailey lists as occurring in a wild state 

 from Minnesota to Texas. 



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