2¥U ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 
C. P. 3 rubra Ser. (Our fig. 473.) — This has red fruit. It is the C, 
Padus fractu ribro of Dec. and of Loiseleur; and, according, to 
Ait, Hort. Kew., 2d ed. p. 299., it is the Prinus ribra of Willd. Arb., 
237. t. 4. £2. 
4 C. P. 4 bractedsa Ser. Padus racemdsus Hort. — A very beautiful 
variety, distinguished by its long racemes of flowers, with their pe- 
dicels furnished with long bracteas at the points of the shoots, by 
which the latter are bent down, both when in blossom and when 
the fruit is ripe, so as to give the whole tree a pendulous appearance. 
A very handsome small tree or large bush. The leaves are finely serrated, 
smooth, and somewhat glaucous ; and their scent, when bruised, resembles 
that of rue. The flowers are of a pure white, in copious, long, terminal 
racemes, making an elegant appearance in spring, but scarcely lasting a fort- 
474. Cérasus Padus. 
night. The fruit is small, black, austere, and bitter, with a large corrugated 
nut. “ Birds of several kinds soon devour this fruit, which is nauseous, and 
probably dangerous to mankind; though, perhaps, like that of the cherry 
laurel, not of so deadly a quality as the essential oil or distilled water of the 
leaves.” (Eng. Flora, ii. p. 354.) The tree grows rapidly when young, at- 
taining the height of 10 or 12 feet in 5 or 6 years; and, as it has a loose 
head, and bears pruning, it allows the grass to grow under it. The wood is 
hard and yellowish, and, in a green state, it has a disagreeable bitter odour 
and taste; whence the French name putiet, from puer. It is much sought’ 
after in France by the cabinetmakers and turners, who increase the beauty of 
its veining by sawing out the boards diagonally, that is, obliquely across the 
trunk, instead of parallel with its length. The fruit, though nauseous to the 
taste when eaten fresh from the tree, gives an agreeable flavour to brandy; 
and is sometimes added to home-made wines. In Sweden and Lapland, and 
also in some parts of Russia, the bruised fruit is fermented, and a powerful spirit 
distilled from it. In Britain, the principal use of the Cérasus Padus is as an orna- 
mental tree ; and few make a finer appearance than it does, either when in flower, 
in April and May; or in August, when covered with its pendent racemes of 
black fruit. It comes into flower a little before the ornamental crab trees, 
and about the same time as the Sérbus aucuparia and the A‘cer platandides. 
The bird cherry prefers a dry soil; but it will not thrive on such poor ground 
as the perfumed cherry. It will grow in almost any situation; but, to attain 
a timber-like size, it requires the shelter either of a favourable locality, or of 
adjoining trees. The species is propagated by seeds, which should be treated 
