Choke Cherry 



503 



Hairy on young shoots, raceme-axis, and pedicels. 

 Leaves pale or glaucous beneath, at least when old, and nearly 

 glabrous beneath, except along veins. 

 Leaves obovate, rounded at apex; drupe red. 

 Leaves oblong to ovate or elliptic, obtuse to acuminate; drupe 

 purple. 

 Leaves densely brown persistent -woolly beneath, not glaucous. 



6. P. Cuthbertii. 



7. P. alabamensis. 



8. P. australis. 



I. CHOKE CHERRY — Padus virginiana (Linnaeus) Roemer 

 Prunus virginiana Linnaeus 



As a shrub this is frequent on rocky soils, usually along banks of streams, 

 from Newfoundland to Manitoba, southward to Georgia and Texas, rarely becom- 

 ing a tree, of a maximum height of about 8 meters, with a trunk diameter of 2 dm. 



The bark is about 7 mm. thick, slightly fissured, dark gray and of a disagree- 

 able odor; twigs usually smooth, becoming 

 light brown and finally dark red-brown; 

 the winter buds are pointed, about 4 mm. 

 long. The leaves are thin, ovate to obo- 

 vate, 5 to 10 cm. long, pointed, mostly 

 rounded at the base, margined with sharp, 

 slender teeth, smooth on both sides, the 

 leaf-stalk i to 2 cm. long, slender, grooved, 

 with two large glands near the base of the 

 leaf-blade. The flowers, appearing from 

 April to June, are about 12 mm. across, 

 in upright or nodding loosely-flowered 

 racemes 8 to 15 cm. long, the axis and 

 pedicels smooth, the latter 6 to 10 mm. 

 long, the calyx-tube um-shaped, its lobes 

 broad, blunt, reflexed and smooth; the 

 petals are white, nearly orbicular, the fila- 

 ments and pistil smooth; the style is short, thick, and abruptly enlarged into a 

 broad terminal stigma. The fruit, ripening in July or August, is globose, 8 to 10 

 mm. in diameter, red, black, or yellow, shining; the flesh thin, juicy, dark colored 

 and very astringent; the stone is ovoid, somewhat flattened, ridged on one edge, 

 acute at the other. 



The fruit becomes much less astringent when fully ripe and is made into jellies 

 and preserved, especially at the North. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, weak, light brown. It is a beautiful plant at 

 all stages of growth, but especially when in flower, and deserves a place in all large 

 plantations. 



Fig. 463. — Choke Cheny. 



