Kaxdbook of Trees of the Xoetiieen States 



Canad.i 



26c 



The Sour Cherry is a naturalized tree in the 

 United States, having been introduced on ac- 

 count of the value of its fruit, and has es- 

 ca; ed from cultivation. It is a low spreading 

 or rounded tree, seldom more than 20 or 30 ft. 

 in height or with trunk more than 10 or 12 in. 

 in thickness. The bark of young trunks is dis- 

 tinctly laminate, but with age breaks up and 

 e.xfoliates in thin curled scales, leaving a 

 roughish, somewhat ridged inner bark. The 

 native home of the Sour Cherry is thought to 

 be the forests of northern Persia and Cau- 

 casia, but it has become naturalized far out- 

 side of these limits and is found growing spon- 

 taneously in localities throughout the greater 

 part of Europe and in northern Africa and 

 India, as well as in the United States. It is 

 hardier than the allied Sweet ('herry, hi> 

 smaller, more rigid and more upright leaves, 

 its spreading top is generally without a centrTJ 

 leader and the bark of the trunk is less per- 

 sistently laminate. Among the valuable garden 

 cherries which have their origin in this species 

 are the Amarelles, Early Puchmond, Montmo- 

 rencj', etc., having a colorless juice, and the 

 Morellos and Louise Philippe, etc., having a 

 colored juice. They are all generally more 

 tart in flavor than those of the /'. Arium < ri- 

 gin and the trees hardier. There are also some 

 forms of the Sour Cherry which are of special 

 ornajiiental value, on account of double wliite 

 or pink-tinted flowers or leaves variegated with 

 yellow or white. The normal characters are 

 given below. 



Tlie wood of the Sour Clierry is ratlier light, 

 hard, brittle and of a light l)rowii color with 

 lighter sap-wood. Tliough of good qualities it 

 is small and of no commercial importance in 

 this country. 1 



Leaves ovate to obnvate, 2i^-4 in. long, rounded 

 or obtuse at base acnte or ahrnptl.v acnminnte 

 unequally crenate-serrate, rather firm and tliic]^. 

 lustrous dark green above, paler henrstth. Flrnnrs 

 white, about 1 in. broad, appearing before or witli 

 the leaves in few-flowered very scal.v sessile umbels 

 from axillary buds on the growth of tbe previous 

 season : calyx-lobes strongly reflexed. Fruit snb- 

 glohose or depressed globose, about l-_; in in di- 

 ameter (larger in eu!ti\'ati''in ) red, without bloom, 

 H'ith juicy tart flesh and suliglnhose pit. 



1. A. W., IV, S2. 



