PEUNUS 



BOSE OBDEB 



PBUNus 357 



that may prove to be a little tender in 

 winter. The soil should be pressed firmly 

 round the cuttings so as to prevent them 

 being lifted out or loosened by the action 

 of frost. 



Although doubtless convenient from a 

 botanical point of view to have the Plums, 

 Almonds, Cherries, and Cherry Laurels 

 sunk under the geniis Prunus, from a 

 popular and gardening point of view it is 

 perhaps not quite so desirable. It may 

 therefore be useful to give a list as set forth 

 in the ' Kew Handbook ' showing the natu- 

 ral groups to which the various species 

 described below belong. 



The Almonds and Peaches (Amygdalus) 

 Leaves cond/wplicate in bud (i.e. folded 

 with the 2 halves face to face). Flowers 

 nearly sessile, expanding before the leaves. 

 Calyx short or elongated. Drupe often 

 large, vehiety ; flesh firm ; stone wrinhled 

 and full of small holes. 



P. Amygdalus ■ P. nana 



P. Boissieri ! P. orientalis 



P. davidiana , P. Persica 



P. incana i P. Simoni 



The Apkicots (Armeniaca) 

 Leases convolute in bud {i.e. rolled 

 v/p from, one edge to another). Flowers 

 sessile or stalked, expanding before the 

 leaves. Calyx short or bell-shaped. 

 Drupe velvety ; flesh pulpy ; stone 

 smooth with a furrow on each side. 



P. Armeniaca : P. Mume 



P. Brigantiaca i P. tomentosa 



P. dasyoarpa I P. triloba 



quite smooth, not glaucous ; stone smooth 

 or wrinkled. 



The Plums (Prunus) 

 Leaves convolute in bud. Flowers 

 stalked, solitary or in pairs, expanding 

 before or at the same time as the leaves. 

 Calyx short, obcordcal or hemispherical. 

 Drupe quite smooth, often with a glau- 

 cous 'bloom' ; stone compressed, oblong 

 or ovoid, smooth or wrinkled. 



P. alleghaniensis 

 P. americana 

 P. angustifolia 

 P. cerasifera 



P. communis 

 P. divaricata 

 P. insititia 

 P. spinosa 



* The Cherries (Cerasus) 

 Lea/oes condupUcate in bud. Flowers 

 either soUtary or in clusters or umbels, 

 expanding before or at the sa/me time as 

 the lea/oes. Calyx short, obconical or 

 elongated, sometimes cylindrical. Drupe 



P. aoida 



P. Avium 



P. Cerasus 



IJ". Chamsecerasus 



P. humilis 



P. Jacquemonti 



P. japonica 



P. Maximowiczi 



P. pendula 



P. pennsylvanica 



P. prostrata 



P. pseudo-cerasus 



P. Puddum 



P. pumila 



P. serrulata 



'The Bird Cherries (Padus) 



P. Capollin 

 P. cornuta 

 P. demissa 

 P. Mahaleb 



P. mollis 

 P. Padus 

 P. serotina 

 P. virginiana 



The Cherry Laurels (Laurocerasus) 



Leaves condupUcate in bud. Flowers 

 in racemes from the axils of the leaves or 

 the ends of the branches. Calyx short, 

 obconical. Drupe quite smooth, very 

 rarely glaucous, oblong or round ; stone 

 smooth or wrinkled. 



P. ilioifolia I P. lusitanica 



P. Laurocerasus | 



P. acida {Cerasus acida). — Abeautifu 

 dwarf Cherry, native of Europe, and in- 

 teresting not only for its ornamental 

 flowering properties but also as one of the 

 parents of the fruiting varieties. The 

 beautiftil white flowers are borne from 

 May to September, and are well displayed 

 among the small deep green glossy leaves. 

 There is a double-flowered variety (fiore 

 pleno) and also one called semperflorens, 

 with a drooping habit. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. alleghaniensis. — A Pennsylvanian 

 shrub 4-6 ft. high or more, having 

 pure white flowers i in. across, changing 

 to pink, followed by nearly round, bluish- 

 purple fruit, useful for preserving. 



Culture rfc. as above. 



P. americana (P. nigra). — American 

 Wild Yellow or Bed Plum. — ^A handsome 

 N. American tree 8-20 ft. high, with more 

 or less ovate, pointed, coarsely toothed 

 leaves. Flowers in April and May, pure 

 snowy-white. Fruits yellow, red, or 

 orange, less than 1 in. in diameter, 

 pleasantly flavoured. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



P. Amygdalus {Amygdalus comtnunis). 

 Common Almond.— -L beautiful tree 10- 

 30 ft. high, native of Barbary, with oblong 



