jSTATIVE AMEEICA]Sr SPECIES OF PEUNUS. 29 



Few horticultural varieties belong to the subspecies, but Americau 

 Eagle, Quaker, Van Buren, and Wolf are referable to it. 



Prunus Mexicana Wats. 



(Big-tree plum.) 



Prunus mexicana Wats., 1882, in Proc. Amer. Acad. Sci., v. 17 (n. s. v. 9), p. 353. 

 Primus amerimna mollis Torr. and Gray, 1840, Fl. N. Amer., v. l,p. 407, in part. 

 Prunus auMralis Munson; Waugh, 1898, w Bot. Gaz., v. 26, no. 1, p. 52. 

 Prunus reticulata Sarg., 1911, Trees and Shrubs, v. 2, pt. 3, p. 151, t. 162. 

 Prunus tenuifolia Sarg., 1911, Trees and Shrubs, v. 2, pt. 3, p. 153, t. 163. 

 Prunus polyandra Sarg., 1911, Trees and Shrubs, v. 2, pt. 3, p. 155, t. 164. 

 Prunus arhan^ana Sarg., 1911, Trees and Shrubs, v. 2, pt. 3, p. 157, t. 165. 



Leaves (PI. II, fig. 1) oblong-obovate or obovate, mostly 7 to 10.5 

 cm. long, -4 to 6.5 cm. broad, the margin sharply serrate or sometimes 

 doubly serrate, rounded or even subcordate at the base and acute or 

 abruptly acuminate toward the apex, yellowish green, and soft- 

 pubescent above with short appressed hairs at least when young, 

 pale green below and more strongly pubescent with longer hairs, 

 veins at length rather prominent or sometimes strongly reticulate 

 below and often in age appearing somewhat rugose above; petioles 

 usually stout, velutinous, though sometimes sparingly so, mostly 10 

 to 12 mm. long, usually with one or more short-stalked glands at or 

 near the apex or rarely on the base of the leaf blade; stipules usually 

 lobed, the lobes hnear and glandular serrate. Flowers about 15 to 18 

 mm. broad in nearly sessile umbels of 2 to 4; pedicels glabrous or 

 rarely pubescent, usually 9 to 12 mm. or sometimes even 15 mm. 

 long; calyx campanulate, the upper part of the tube and lobes soft- 

 pubescent with short hairs, the tube 2.5 to 3 mm. long, the lobes 

 oblong or ovate-oblong and as long as the tube or nearly so, dentate 

 at the apex or sometimes entire, obscurely glandular in the margin, 

 rather strongly pubescent within, at least toward the base, and 

 usually reflcxcd; petals mostly 6 mm. to very rarely 10 mm. long, 

 sometimes sparingly and obscurely pubescent on the outer surface 

 toward the base, varying even in the same specimen from ovate- 

 orbicular and abruptly contracted to a short claw to oblong-oval and 

 gradually narrowed to a claw, the margin usually entire. Fruit 

 ripening in October and November, rarely earlier, glo])oso or Vi^-y 

 rarely oidong, 18 to 30 mm. in diameter or rarely larger, dark purplish 

 red with bluish bloom; stone (PI. VIII, figs. 17 to 24) obovoid to 

 nearly round, 12.5 to 16 mm. long, 10 to 12 mm. broad, turgid, 

 U-sually ])oint(!d at tin; base and rounded at the apex or sometimes 

 slightly y)ointed, slightly grooved on either si(]<'. a short, (Hstanco from 

 the ventral edge and inconspicuously grooved, or th(^ groov<'! enl-in^ly 

 absent along the, dorsal edge, surface smooth, (i.xcept for a few usually 

 indistinct ridges lownrd tho base. 



