48 BULLETIN 179, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



There are no specimens from Texas in any of the American herbaria 

 consulted that can be referred to this species, but seeds of another 

 species, it seems, were received from Dr. Engehnann at the same time, 

 and in 1910 they were with a specimen of Prunus orthosepala grown 

 on the grounds and now in the herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum. 

 These seeds represent a species that occurs in Texas, and it is quite 

 possible that they are the ones referred to by Dr. Engelmann and that 

 those of P. orthosepala did not come from that State. Still more 

 doubt is cast on the Texas origin by the fact that in the Gray Herba- 

 rium of Harvard University, there are several fragmentary specimens 

 of Prunus from EUis, Kans., sent h'j Dr. Louis Watson to his brother, 

 Sereno Watson. One of these specimens bears the date June 4, 1880; 

 others were sent on August 1, 1881. These fragments consist of 

 leaves and immature fruit. The leaves are very similar in shape to 

 P. orthosepala, but vary considerably in the serration of the margin, 

 the teeth of some being much more acute than others. P. orthosep- 

 ala itself shows some variation in this respect, specimens from Dr. 

 Koehne being more sharply serrate than those grown either in the 

 Arnold Arboretum or in the nursery of Mr. J. W. Kerr, near Denton, 

 Md. None of the Kansas specimens have the leaves so sharply ser- 

 rate as in those from Dr. Koehne, but some of them appear to ap- 

 proach very closely those grown in the arboretum. The seeds, too, 

 of several of them are practically identical with those of P. orthosep- 

 ala, while others are somewhat more oblong. The following is an 

 extract from Dr. Watson's letter describing the trees: 



I mail to-day a cigar box containing specimens of phims just gathered — some of 

 them are from Mother Smith's garden from seed. She says I mustn't fail to tell you 

 this. I number them from 1 to 7, thus: (1) 8 or 10 feet high, ripening considerably 

 later than the others; (2) 6 or 8 feet, ripening now; (3) 6 feet, a freestone, ripening now; 

 (4) "sand plum," 2 to 3J feet, open leaves, ripening now; (5) "sand plum," 2 to 3J 

 feet, ripe now, with closed leaves (not a good specimen, as it does not show the closed 

 leaf as much as common); (6) 6 feet, ripening; (7) egg-shaped plums of the taller sort, 

 but I have no leaves except a small sprig attached to one. 



P. S. — Some bushes of the sand plam bear egg-shaped plums. I have added some 

 specimens as No. 8; also put in some extra ones of the taller kind, whether I numbered 

 them or not I don't know. 



Of these, Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the sand plmn, later described as 

 Prunus watsoni, while all the others bear some resemblance in the 

 character of the leaves and seeds to P. orthosepala. The specimen 

 sent in June, 1880, is described as a "large yellow plum ripening last 

 of August and later." 



A small tree in Highland Park, Rochester, N. Y., which came 

 originally from the Arnold Arboretum, is very evidently of the same 

 character as the larger plums described by Dr. Watson, and the seeds 

 were probably obtained at the same time as were those of Prunus 

 angustifolia watsoni. This tree bore abundantly in 1911, the fruit 



