0461 



PLUM TREE 



Family: ROSACEAE. 



Reproductive system: ICOSANDRY. MONOGYNY. 



The blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, Linn., is not a very tall tree but it's a very 

 branchy one; it's often a bush tree. The branches, terminating in sharp points, bear leaves 

 that are oval-lanceolate, pointed, and finely toothed on the margins. The flowers are 

 white, solitary, pedunculate, and bloom before the leaves appear. The calyx has five lobes 

 and the corolla five petals that often are indented at the top. A large number of stamens 

 insert into the calyx. The ovary is free, surmounted by one style and one stigma. It turns 

 into a rounded oval fruit, green at first and a deep blue when ripe. It contains an osseous 

 pit that's flattened, pointed, grooved, and irregular at the edges. 



FLOWERS: in March and April. 



RANGE: hedges and uncultivated areas in France and Europe. 



NOMENCLATURE. German, der schwarzdorn, slehen. English, black-thorn. 

 Dutch, sleedorn. Italian, prugnolo. Russian, tern, ternik. Hungarian, kokery-fa. 



The garden plum tree, Prunus domestica, Linn., is a not very tall tree with 

 spreading branches and brown bark. The leaves are alternate, oval-oblong with dentate 

 margins and are slightly downy underneath. The flowers are white, solitary or in pairs. 

 They appear at the same time as the leaves. The calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil 

 resemble those of the preceding species. The fruit is rounded or oval depending on the 

 variety. It's covered with a fine glaucous powder called bloom. This is never found on 

 species of the cherry tree genus in which Linnaeus had included the plum trees. 



FLOWERS: in April and May. 

 RANGE: France. 



