NATIVE AMEEICAF SPECIES OF PKUNUS. 67 



attention. This seed was planted and came up in the spring of 1892, 

 and the seedling fruited in 1894. 



If the sand-cherry parent of this hybrid came from eastern Minne- 

 sota, as stated, it could scarcely be Prunus hesseyi', as has been sug- 

 gested (5, p. 244), since the latter does not appear to occur in the 

 eastern part of the State, but would be either P. pumila or P. cuneata, 

 and since the former is apparently the most common, it is perhaps the 

 species concerned. The hybrid is of little value, so far as the fruit is 

 concerned, but it is of interest as being apparently the first attempt at 

 hybridizing the sand cherry. No doubt its success and publication 

 and the hybrid of the western sand cherry with the sand plum, 

 known as the Utah hybrid, has suggested to horticulturists the possi- 

 bility of securing something of value for the Plains region from 

 P. hesseyi. 



Rupert. — The variety Rupert is reported by W. T. Macoun to be a 

 hybrid of Prunus pumila with P. americana. 



Prunus Cuneata Rafin. 



Prunus cuneata Raf., 1820, Ann. Nat., p. 11. 



Leaves broadly lanceolate (PI. VII, fig. 4) or sometimes even obo- 

 vate to elliptic or elliptic-obovate, 3.5 to 7 cm. long, 1 to 2.5 cm. 

 broad, cuneate or gradually narrowed toward the base, obtuse or 

 sometimes acute at the apex, usually serrate from below the middle 

 or sometimes nearly to the base, green above and pale or even some- 

 what glaucouslike below; petioles 5 to 10 mm. long. Flowers and 

 fruit similar to the preceding, but the stone usually slightly smaller 

 (PL XII, figs. 29 and 30), being from 8 to 9 mm. long, 5.5 to 6.5 mm. 

 broad, 5 mm. thick, and slightly pointed at the apex. 



Prunus cuneata is an erect shrub, growing from 1 to 4 feet high, 

 otherwise similar in habit to the preceding. It was first described 

 from " the mountains of Pennsylvania," and occurs (fig. 4) some- 

 times in sandy, but more frequently in heavier soils, near lakes and 

 about bogs, or other moist situations, from southern Maine and 

 northern Vermont southward to the mountains of North Carolina 

 and westward to Minnesota. 



In flower, it is quite impossible always to distinguish Prunus 

 cuneata in the herbarium from the preceding, but the young leaves 

 are usually much broader in proportion to their length than in P. 

 jmmila, and they arc nearly always strongly obtuse at the apex. 

 Even mature foliage sometimes approaches P. pumila so closely as 

 to rr-nrlcr sfparution difficult, though they are usually much broader 

 toward the base tfian in the former sp(5cies. Nevertheless, the 

 two appear to be well distinguished by habital characters. It has 

 ap[)arcrit]y not bcicn utilized in horti(;ulture; and, being smaller, 

 it is probably less promising tlian either P. pumibi or /■*. hesseyi. 



