PEUNUS 



BOSE OBDEB 



PEUNUS 359 



twisted leaves, and the tree is more fas- 

 tigiate in habit than the type. 



Culture &c. as above. The typical 

 species is also known as P. mirohalana 

 and Cerasus myrobalanos, and for this 

 reason has been a good deal confused with 

 another Plum called the ' Mirabelle,' 

 which is a variety of the common wild 

 Plum, P. communis:. 



P. Cctasas (Cerasus vulgaris ; C. Cap- 

 ronia/na). — Wild or Dwarf Cherry. — 

 A small British tree, 15-20 ft. high, with 

 red bark, slender drooping branches, and 

 dark blue-green, oblong obovate, or elliptic 

 orenate-serrate, smooth leaves. Flowers 

 in May, pure white. The variety Biga- 

 rella (Cerasus duracina) is supposed to 

 be a parent of the Bigarreau and Heart 

 Cherries. 



Many fine varieties are known, the 

 best perhaps being : — Flore pleno, a 

 distinct and beautiful double-flowered 

 variety ; multiplex (or ranunculijiora), 

 also a fine double-flowered form ; and 

 Bhexi/i fl. pi., another variety with pure 

 white long-stalked double flowers in great 

 profusion. Semperflor&ns — the AU Saints, 

 Ever-Flowering, or Weeping Cherry — is 

 a beautiful variety with gracefully droop- 

 ing branches ; and persiciflora has double 

 white flowers tinged with rose. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 356. 



P. Chamsecerasus (Cerasus chamacera- 

 sus) . — Ground Cherry. — A dwarf E nropean 

 Cherry 10 ft. or more high, with obovate, 

 shining, crenate, bluntish, smooth, rather 

 leathery leaves. Flowers in May, white, 

 about J in. across, usually in sessile 

 clusters. Fruit round, reddish-purple, 

 acid. The Maxiety pendula has a drooping 

 habit, and there is also a form with varie- 

 gated leaves. 



Culture Ac. as above, p. 356. 



P. Cocumilio. — An ornamental Plum 

 from S. Italy, with obovate serrate leaves 

 and masses of white-flowei-s in spring, 

 succeeded by beautiful yellow fruits. 



Culture dc. as above. Although a 

 native of a warmer climate than ovi own, 

 this species seems to be quite hardy. It 

 grows about 20 ft. high, and one of the 

 finest specimens in the coimtry is to be 

 found in the Oxford Botanic Gardens, 

 where it flowers and fruits almost every 

 year. 



P. communis (Common Plum). — An 

 ornamental tree 10-15 ft. high, with ovate 

 or oblong lance-shaped leaves, downy 



beneath when young. Flowers in March 

 and April, white. The variety Pruneau- 

 liana has beautiful masses of white 

 flowers in April, and there is also a 

 double-flowered form of it. The Sloe and 

 Blackthorn (P. spimosa), the Bullace (P. 

 insititia) and the Wild Plum (P. domes- 

 tica) are all varieties of P. commumis, 

 and in conjunction with it have prob- 

 ably produced the well-known cultivated 

 Plum (see p. 1069). The variety Juliana 

 is much used as a stock for budding, as is 

 also the one known as the ' Mirabelle ' 

 Plum alluded to above under P. cerasifera. 



The double-flowered Blackthorn (P. 

 spimosafl. pi.) is a pretty March -blooming 

 shrub, and a variety of the common wild 

 Plum called Plamtieri is very ornamental 

 owing to its wealth of semi-double pure 

 white flowers, succeeded by black and 

 good flavoured fruits. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 356. 



P. dasycarpa (Armeniaca dasyca/rpa). 

 A pretty Chinese Apricot 10-15 ft. high, 

 with dark glossy green, ovate pointed 

 serrate leaves ; the white flowers appear 

 in great profusion in March and April 

 before the leaves unfold. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 356. 



P. davidiana (Persica davidia/na). — A 

 very ornamental Chinese tree, with wavy 

 serrated leaves narrowed towards the base, 

 and pale rose or white flowers, often pro- 

 duced as early as January in mild winters, 

 and in great profusion. The pure white 

 form is called alba, and the pink form rubra. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 356. 



P. demissa (Cerasus demissa). — A 

 species of Bird Cherry, native of the 

 United States, and closely related to P. 

 virginiana. It may, however, be distin- 

 guished from the latter species by its 

 thicker and more downy leaves, which are 

 rounded or somewhat heart-shaped at the 

 base. The pure white flowers appear in 

 April and May on racemes 3-6 in. long. 

 ' Culture dc. as above, p. 356. 



P. divaricata. — A graceful Caucasian 

 tree 10-25 ft. high, with lance-shaped 

 and ovate leaves 2 in. long, often nearly, 

 cordate at the base, smooth beneath. 

 Flowers in March and April when the 

 tree is in leaf, white, f in. across, and 

 borne in such profusion as to almost hide 

 the branches. 



This species comes very near P. cerasi- 

 fera, but the flowers open a little later 

 than that species. It makes a splendid 



