686 CERASUS. [CLASS Xn. ORDER I. 



these the Morellos, the Maydukes, the Archdukes, the Kentish, the 

 Honey, and many others, all varieties of the C. caproniana, De Cand. 

 are the most wholesome and agreeable, either for dessert or preserving ; 

 and the varieties of C. Duracina, De Cand, as the white, the black, the 

 yellow, the red, and the bleeding heart cherries, may be enumerated as 

 the most beautiful and agreeable fruits, but not so wholesome, on 

 account of the flesh being hard and less digestible ; but our indigenous 

 species, the C. avium, the bird or fowl cherry or hog berry of Scotland, 

 bears a nauseous bitter fruit ; but nevertheless it is eaten in some 

 countries probably from the want of better, and when steeped in 

 whiskey or gin, it is said greatly to improve the flavour of those 

 spirits. The variety viacrocarpa, Ser. cultivated in Switzerland, and 

 called Kirscheuwasser , is a large fruited variety, from which a spirit or 

 kind of cherry-brandy is distilled ; and the mariasia, cultivated in 

 Dalmatia, is used for the making of the much esteemed liquor Maras- 

 chino. The wood of most of the species is hard, and makes excellent 

 furniture ; that of C. Mahahb, Mill, is red, and sweet scented, and is 

 much esteemed by cabinet-makers, which is known by the name of St. 

 Lucia wood. 



Cherry trees are very ornamental ; and in woods or shrubberies, where 

 it is desirable to encourage the blackbird, thrush, &c., they are very 

 valuable, as the fruit is the favourite food of these and many other 

 birds ; and the double flowering variety is extremely handsome, mostly 

 bearing a profusion of flowers, extremely double, and appearing most 

 like one of our small double roses. For the purpose of the fruil. Cherries 

 are grafted or budded on seedling plants grown from the nuts, and the 

 best and most hardy stocks are from the wild species. 



2. C. Pa'dus, De Cand. (Fig. 783.) Bird Cherry. Flowers in 

 elongated racemes; leaves ovate lanceolate, or ovate, thin, smooth, 

 deciduous, finely serrated ; the footstalks with two glands at the top. 



De Cand. Prod. 2. p. 539. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 90. — Prunus 

 Padus, lAnn. — English Botany, t. 1383, — English Flora, vol. ii. p. 

 354.— Hooker, British Flora, ed. 4. v. 1. p. 195. 



A moderate sized tree, with a smooth even bark, hard, close grained 

 wood, and spreading branches. Leaves from scattered buds, ovate 

 lanceolate, with an acuminated point, or ovate, quite smooth, of a 

 cheerful green, a thin texture, and the margins very finely serrated, 

 with small simple or double teeth, of a strong scent when bruised. 

 Petioles slender, having at the top a pair of small prominent glands, 

 and at the base are a pair of small linear stipules, which soon fall 

 away. Inflorescence simple, pendulous, or leafy racemes, of numerous 

 flowers, each on a simple footstalk. Cali/x with a five cleft limb, of 

 obtuse lobes. Petals pure white, obovate, with a toothed or finely 

 jagged margin. Stamens with awl-shaped filaments, and the anthers 

 roundish, of two cells. Fruit round, small, black, and bitter, with a 

 very austere taste, the nut large for the size of the fruil, rough. 



