Pmnus 1535 



4. Prunus Padus, Liiin^us. Europe, Temperate Asia. See p. 1543. 



Small tree or shrub. Leaves slightly cordate at the base ; pale beneath 

 with axil-tufts of pubescence. 

 S- Prunus serotina, "EhrhdiVt. North America. See p. 1546. 



Large tree. Leaves tapering at the base ; pale beneath with a dense band 

 of rusty pubescence on each side of the midrib. 



Section III. Laurocerasus. Cherry Laurels. 



Evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves rolled up in the bud. Flowers small 

 in long leafless racemes. 



6. Prunus Laurocerasus, Linnaeus. Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, Caucasus, 



North Persia. Seep. 1551. 



Leaves with a few remote serrations on the margin, and with one or two 

 glands on each side of the midrib beneath. 



7. Prunus lusitanica, Linnaeus. Spain, Portugal, Azores, Madeira, and Canary 



Isles. See p. 1553. 



Leaves regularly serrate, without glands beneath. (A. H.) 



PRUNUS AVIUM, Wild Cherry, Gean 



Prunus Avium, Linnaeus, Fl. Suec. 165 (1755); Willkomm, Forstliche Mora, 898 (1887); Ascherson 



and Graebner, Syn. Mittekurop. Flora, vi. pt. ii. 151 (1906). 

 Cerasus Avium, Moench, Metk. 672 (1794); Mathieu, Flore Forestiire, 137 (1897). 

 Cerasus sylvestris, Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit ii. 693 (1838). 

 Prunus Cerasus, var. Avium, Linnaeus, Sp. PL 474 (1753). 



A tree, attaining 80 to 100 ft. in height. Bark smooth, shining grey, often 

 peeling off on the surface in transverse annular strips ; becoming deeply fissured and 

 thick at the base of old trunks. Young branchlets glabrous. Leaves alternate 

 on the long shoots, clustered at the apices of the short shoots or spurs, variable in 

 shape and size, up to 5 in. long and 2 in. broad, ovate or obovate, elliptic or oblong, 

 cuspidate-acuminate at the apex, cuneate or rounded at the base, biserrate or un- 

 equally serrate, the serrations tipped with a gland ; upper surface dull, glabrescent ; 

 lower surface pale green, with scattered long hairs, mainly on the midrib and nerves ; 

 lateral nerves, twelve to sixteen pairs, looping before reaching the margin ; petiole 

 with a few scattered hairs, and usually with a pair of red prominent glands near its 

 distal end. 



Flowers, two to six in a cluster, appearing with the leaves, and usually situated 

 on the short shoots, arising out of a bud, with no internal leafy scales ; calyx-tube con- 

 stricted near the apex, glabrous, with five entire reflexed lobes : petals five, white, 

 obovate-rounded, emarginate. Fruit globose, smooth, reddish, shining ; stone light 

 brown, oval, compressed, furrowed on one edge. 



This species suckers from the roots, but not so freely as P. Cerasus ; and when 

 cut down, produces coppice shoots. 



VI 2D 



