46 BULLETIN 179, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGKICULTUEE, 



petals about 5 mm. "long, obovate and gradually narrowed toward the 

 base, erose or entire toward the apex. Fruit mostly ripening in 

 June in its native region, globose or subglobose, varying from red to 

 yellow, usually with a light bloom; stone 13 to 16 mm. long, 9 to 12 

 mm. broad, turgid, ovoid to eUiptic oblong, obscurely pointed at the 

 apex or sometimes slightlj^ obtuse, truncate or obliquely truncate at 

 the base, grooved on the dorsal edge, the ventral edge with a narrow, 

 thickened, and shghtly grooved wing, the surface irregularly rough- 

 ened. 



In its native state Prunus angustifolia varians forms dense thickets, 

 as does the species, the larger specimens attaining a height of about 

 11 feet. When budded and grown in the orchard it assumes the 

 form of a small tree with well-defined trunk and spreading branches, 

 sometimes armed with rather slender spinescent branchlets. It is 

 distinguished from the species by its usually more robust habit, by 

 having the young twigs less reddish and approaching chestnut brown 

 in color, by rather longer leaves and longer pediceled flowers, and by 

 the stone usually being more pointed at the apex. 



Prunus angustifolia varians usually grows in more fertile soil than 

 the species. It occurs locally from southern Oklahoma through 

 eastern Texas southward, possibly to the Colorado River, and prob- 

 ably westward nearly to the Panhandle region. As yet, however, 

 its distribution is not well defined. 



Prunus angustifolia varians embraces nearly aU of the early-ripening 

 horticultural varieties previously referred to P. angustifolia, and its 

 fruit appears to be superior to that of the species. Among the varie- 

 ties typical of the form may be mentioned African, Clark, Cluck, 

 Coletta, Emerson, Fawn, Mason, Piram, and YeUow Transparent. 



Prunus Angustifolia Varians Hybrids. 



The subspecies Prunus angustifolia varians has apparently been 

 crossed with P. munsoniana and P. trifiora, and the variety Marianna 

 (PI. XIII, figs. 11 and 12) may represent a hybrid either of this form 

 or of P. angustifolia with P. cerasifera. Since its introduction the 

 parentage of the Marianna has remained in doubt, and even now its 

 origin is not clear. The history of the variety is given by G. Onder- 

 donk (58, p. 28), the well-known nurseryman of southern Texas, as 

 f oUows : 



It was an accidental seedling on the grounds of Mr. C. G. Fitze, at Marianna, Polk 

 County, Tex. Cuttings were furnished Mr. C. N. Ely in 1877. He named it Marianna, 

 after the locality of its origin, and introduced it to the public. 



Mr. Ely lived at Smith Point, Tex., and introduced the variety in 

 1884 (5, p. 213) . It has sometimes been considered a hybrid of Prunus 

 cerasifera with the Wild Goose, P. mumoniana, and these species may 



