ROSACEtE— ROSE FAMILY 



CANADA PLUM. RED PLUM 



Prunus nigra 



A small tree twenty feet in height, dividing five or six feet from 

 the ground into a number of stout upright branches which form a 

 rigid head. Prefers alluvial soil. Ranges from Newfoundland 

 through the St. Lawrence valley to Manitoba. By cultivation is 

 naturalized in parts of Michigan, northern New England and north- 

 ern New York. 



Bark. — Gray brown, outer layer comes off in thick plates. Branch- 

 lets are bright green at first, later become dark brown tinged with 

 red. 



Wood. — Bright red brown ; heavy, hard, strong and close-grained. 

 Sp. gr., 0.6918 ; weight of cu. ft., 43.17. 



Winter Buds. — Chestnut brown, acuminate, one-eighth to one- 

 fourth of an inch long. Scales of flower buds grow with the expand- 

 ing flowers and become pale green tinged with pink. 



Leaves. — Alternate, simple, oblong-ovate or obovate, three to five 

 inches long, one and a half to three inches broad, wedge-shaped or 

 slightly heart-shaped or rounded at base, doubly crenulate-serrate, 

 abruptly contracted to a narrow point at the apex, feather-veined, 

 midrib conspicuous. They come out of the bud convolute, downy, 

 slightly tinged with red, when full grown are smooth, bright green 

 above, paler beneath. Petioles stout, bearing two large dark glands. 

 Stipules lanceolate or three to five-lobed, early deciduous. 



Flowers. — May, before the leaves. Perfect, white, slightly fra- 

 grant, borne in three to four-flowered umbels, with short thick pe- 

 duncles. The pedicels of the blossoms are slender and dark red. 



Calyx. — Conic, dark red, five-lobed ; lobes acute, finally reflexed, 

 glandular, smooth on the inner surface, imbricate in bud. 



Corolla. — Petals five, inserted on the calyx tube, white, turning 

 pink in fading, margin more or less erose, ovate, rounded, with 

 short claws, imbricate in bud. 



