Handbook of Trees of the Noetheen States and Canada. 275 



A small tree rarely over 20 or 25 ft. in 

 height with rather wide rounded top of spread- 

 ing slender branches, and trunk rarely more 

 than 8 or 19 in. in diameter 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 thickets of considerable 

 extent. 



The fact that it is confined in its dis- 

 tribution mostly to old fields and roadsides 

 in the vicinitv of human habitations 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 tli?re 

 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 regularly mar- 

 keted in season in southern towns, commonly 

 under the name of " mountain cherries." Vari- 

 ous improved forms are sold by nursery- houses 

 but only suitable for the southern climate. 



Leaves lanceolate to lance-oblong, 1-2 in Ion'?. 

 mostly tapering at base, acute or apiculate at 

 apex, sharply sert-ate, glabrous, lustrous bright 

 green above, paler beneath and with short glabrous 

 or puberulous petioles having two glands near the 

 leaf blade. FJairrrs small, about % in. ac-rnss. 

 expanding beforp the Icavns in lateral 2-4-flowi'r('d 

 umbels, with slender glabrous pedicels ; calyx 

 glabrous with lobes pubescent inside ; petals white. 

 rounded. Fruit ripening in early summer, sub- 

 globose, about V> in. in diameter, lustrous red. 

 without bloom, with thin skin, juicy subacid flesh 

 and turgid oblnng thick-walled stone with thick 

 rounded margins and somewhat grooved in the 

 dorsal suture. 



1. Frunua OMcasa MIchx. 



