ROSE FAMILY 



■ A stanza of an ancient song runs thus : — 



Tlieir spells were vain ; the hags returned 

 To the tjueeu in sorrowful mood, 

 Crying that witches have no power 

 \\'here tliere is roan-tree wood. 



Pvnis saniluiclfolia is a tree of more northern range than 

 P. aiiu-iiia/ia. In general appearance it is not unlike it, but 

 both blossoms and fruit are larger. 



COCKSPUR THORN. NEWCASTLE THORN 



Cra/u'gns LI us - yvi ///'. 



Ci'atiTgns is of Greek derivation, referring to the strength of the 

 wood produced by tl"ie dilTerent species. Cyus-;^airi refers to the 

 cltaraeter ^•'i the thorns, lite name o{ Newcastle 'Hiorn liad its 

 origin in tiie laet that this tliorn "was once largely usetl as a 

 hedge plant I-)\' the iarmers of Newcastle County, 1 )ela"\\-are. 



A small tree with stout, rigid, spreading branches and abroad flat 

 or round head. Branches usually armed with long slender spines. 

 Roots fibrous. I^oves rich soil along the margins of swamps or near 

 streams ; succeeds as a hedge plant. 



/?,,,/■ —Light reddish brown, or ashy gray, surface separatecl into 

 scales. liranchlets at first green but soon become light brown or 

 gray tinged with brown. In their second year they become armed 

 with spines and these continue to enlarge for many years, often be- 

 coming many branched and six or eight inches long. 



//'('('(Z. — fveddish brown ; hca\y,hard, close-grained with a satiny 

 surfice. Sp. gr. , 0.7194 ; weight of cu. ft., 44.83 lbs. 



Winter Ends. — Chestnut brown, obtuse, one-eighth of an inch 

 lom^. Inner scales grow with the growing shoot and often become 

 one-half an inch long and bright red before they fall. 



Lcai'cs. — .Mtcrnate, simple, obovate-cuneiform to broadly oval or 

 linear-ol^long, one to three inches long, tapering from the middle 

 to the petiole, sharply serrate except toward the base, acute or 

 rounded at apex. Feather-veined ; midrib and primary veins nar- 

 row. Thev come out of the bud conduplicate, when full grown are 

 smooth, thick, dark green and shining above, paler beneath. In 

 autumn tliey turn orange and scarlet. Petioles short, broad. Stipules 

 vary in forrn from linear, acute to obliquely ovate, early deciduous. 



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