Handbook of Trees of the Nortiieex States and C'a 



275 



A small tree rarely over 20 or 25 ft. in 

 heijj'lit witli rather wide rounded top of spread- 

 in;; -lender branches, and trunk rarely more 

 than 8 or 19 in. in diami'ter covered with a 

 thin dark brown bark rough with closely ap- 

 pressed scales. It is often a shrub of but few 

 feet in height forming thicket.s of considerable 

 extent. 



The fact that it is confined in its dis- 

 tribution mostly to old fields and roadsides 

 ir the vicinity of human haliitatjons suggests 

 the thought that it may be an introduced tree, 

 but from whence it is not known. Early set- 

 tlers found it growing about the settlements 

 of the Indians in the South, among whom there 

 was a tradition that it was brought from be- 

 yond the Mississippi River. 



Its fruit is valued for immediate eating and 

 for preserves and jellies and is regularh' mar- 

 keted in season in southern towns, commonly 

 under the name of '" mountain cherries." Vari- 

 ous improved forms are sold by nurserj' houses 

 but only suitable for the southern climate. 



Leaves lanceolate to lance-obloDg, 1-2 in Ion?, 

 mnstly tapering at base, acute or aplculate at 

 apes, sharply sert-ate. glabrous, lustrous bright 

 green above, paler beneath and with short glabrous 

 or piiberulous petioles having two glands near the 

 Ipaf blade. FJoiccrs small, about ^n in. across, 

 expanding before the leaves in lateral 2-4-fiowered 

 umbels, with slender glabrous i)edicels ; calyx 

 trlabrous with lobes pubescent inside : petals white, 

 rounded. Fruit ripening in early summer, sub- 

 ^lobosp, about V^ in. in diaoK'ter, lustrous red. 

 without bloom, with thin sK-in. jiiii'v subacid flesh 

 aur] turgid oblong tbick-wallcd stone with thick 

 roimded margins and somewhat grooved in the 

 dorsal suture. 



1. Priuuis Clui't.-ja iiichx. 



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