454 



The Thorn Trees 



slightly hairy above when young, becoming smooth, thick, dull gray-green; midrib 



and veins strongly simken in the upper 

 surface; leaf-stalks slightly winged, i to 

 2 cm. long. The flowers are about 15 

 mm. wide in many-flowered, woolly-hairy 

 corymbs; calyx-tube short-hairy, the lan- 

 ceolate pointed lobes less so; stamens 

 about 20; anthers white to pink; styles 3 

 to 5. The fruit ripens late; it is short- 

 oblong to subglobose, 12 to 25 mm. thick, 

 dull red, yellowish green to bright yellow, 

 dotted; calyx-lobes spreading; flesh firm, 

 dry; it contains 3 to 5, usually 3 or 4 

 nutlets, 8 to 9 mm. long, 8 to 10 mm, 

 thick, with ridged backs and pointed ends. 

 This species is also very variable. 

 The variety aurea Aiton, has yellow fruit, 

 lighter anthers, and slightly smaller nutlets than the type. Variety canescens Brit- 

 ton is a form with whitish woolly-hairy leaves and corymbs. 



Fig. 398. — Large-fruited Thorn. 



9. CAUGHNAWAGA THORN — Crataegus suborbiculata Sargent 



This thorn occurs about the limestone ridges of the Caughnawaga Indian 

 reservation and on the island of Mon- 

 treal, Quebec. It is a tree from 5 to 

 6 meters high, with spreading branches, 

 forming a broad flat-topped crown; 

 the twigs are smooth and are armed 

 with straight or curved chestnut-brown 

 spines, from 3 to 5 cm. long. 



The leaves arc ovate-orbicular, 

 from 2 to 7 cm. long, and from 2 to 6 

 cm. wide, the apex pointed, the base 

 broadly wedge-shaped, doubly toothed 

 or often lobed above the middle, thin, 



smooth with impressed veins and dull ^^°- 399- — Caughnawaga Thorn. 



dark green above, paler beneath; leaf-stalks winged above, glandular, i to 2 cm. 

 long. The flowers are about 2 cm. broad in several-flowered smooth corymbs, 

 calyx- lobes linear, long-pointed, with remote glandular teeth; stamens about 20; 

 anthers rose; styles 4 or 5. The fruit ripens very late, is subglobose, about 2 cm. 

 thick, dull green becoming tinged with red; flesh yellow, dry and hard; calyx- 

 lobes spreading; it contains 4 or 5 nutlets from 6 to 7.5 mm. long, the nest from 8 

 to 10 mm. thick, the nutlets slightly ridged on the back. 



