ADDISONIA : 9 
(Plate 165) 
AMYGDALUS DAVIDIANA 
David’s Peach 
Native of China 
Family AMYGDALACEAE PEACH Family 
Persica Davidiana Carr. Rev. Hort. 44:74. 1872. 
Prunus Davidiana Franch. Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris II. 5: 255. 1882. 
Amysdalus Davidiana Nash. 
Of all the known peaches this is the earliest to flower, its pre- 
cocity in this respect frequently leading to its undoing, for the 
flower-buds are often killed by frost. Usually early in April, in 
the latitude of New York city, three to four weeks in advance of the 
common peach, this charming tree, of slender habit and willow-like, 
puts forth its single flowers of a blush or light pink; there is also a 
variety with pure white flowers. If the frost does not destroy the 
buds, its flowers are a welcome sight, for it is one of the harbingers 
of spring among our cultivated woody plants, in this respect vieing 
with some of our native shrubs and trees, such as the spice-bush, 
alder, and red maple. In hardiness it is the equal of the common 
peach, and can be grown where that survives and in similar soil 
and environment. It is a worthy addition to any collection of 
woody plants, and should be more generally grown. The plant 
from which the accompanying illustration was prepared was 
received from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C 
in 1909, and is now in the deciduous arboretum of the New York 
Botanical Garden. 
Amygdalus ‘Davidiana was discovered about 1867 by the Abbé 
David in the neighborhood of Pekin, and by him subsequently 
introduced into the gardens of England. As a fruit tree it has no 
value, the fruit being thin-fleshed and of no economic importance. 
It is said that in China it is used as a grafting stock for many of 
the stone-fruits, and it may sometime prove of value in this country 
for the same purpose. 
The genus Amygdalus is found in eastern Europe and Asia. 
There are about eight species in common cultivation, including the 
common peach and almond. Amygdalus triloba, of China, is of 
frequent occurrence in cultivation in its double-flowered form, 
under the name of the flowering plum; in full bloom it is one of 
the most charming and decorative of our garden shrubs. It, 
