White and Greenish 



Red Choke-berry; Dogberry Tree 



{Aronia arbutifoUa) Apple family 

 {Pyrus arbutifolia of Gray) 



Flowers — White or magenta tinged, yi. in." across or less, in ter- 

 minal, compound cymes, finally overtopped by young sterile 

 shoots. Calyx 5-lobed, hairy ; 5 concave, spreading petals ; 

 stamens numerous ; 3 to 5 styles united at base ; ovary 

 woolly. Stem: Shrubby, branching, usually low, rarely 12 

 ft. high. Leaves : Alternate, petioled, oval to oblong, finely 

 cut-edged, smooth above, matted with woolly hairs under- 

 neath. Fruit: Small, round or top-shaped, bright red 

 berries. 



Preferred Habitat — Swamps, low ground, wet thickets. 



Flowering Season — March — May. 



Distribution — Nova Scotia to Gulf of Mexico, westward to the 

 Mississippi. 



Another common species often found in the same haunts, 

 the Black Choke-berry {A. nigra), with similar flowers, the berries 

 very dark purple, was formerly confounded with the red choke- 

 berry. But because it sometimes elects to live in dry ground its 

 leaves require no woolly mat on the underside to absorb vapors 

 arising from wet retreats. (See Steeple-bush, p. 96.) No wonder 

 that the insipid little berries, related to apples, pears, and other 

 luscious fruits, should share with a cousin, the mountain ash, or 

 rowan, the reproachful name of dogberry. 



June-berry; Service-berry; May-cherry 



{Amelanchier Canadensis) Apple family 



Flowers — Pure white, over i in. across, on long, slender pedicels, 

 in spreading or drooping racemes, with silky, reddish bracts, 

 early falling, among them. Calyx persistent, 5-parted; 5 

 long, narrow, tapering petals, 3 or 4 times the length of calyx ; 

 numerous stamens inserted on calyx throat; 2 to 5 styles, 

 hairy at base. Stem : A large shrub or tree, usually much less 

 than 25 ft. high, rarely twice that height, wood very hard and 

 heavy. Leaves : Alternate, oval, tapering at tip, finely saw- 

 edged, smooth (like the pear tree's), often hairy when young. 

 Fruit: Round, crimson, sweet, edible, seedy berries, ripe in 

 June and July. 



205 



