CHOKE CHERRY 
It loves ravines and rocky woods, will grow and flourish 
directly on the southern shore of Lake Erie, taking “ Free- 
dom's northern wind” all winter without the slightest detri- 
ment to its well-being. , 
It blooms profusely in early spring before the leaves are 
very much in evidence; the tiny white blossoms are borne 
in clusters of five to eight-flowered umbels, and fairly cover 
the tree. 
The shining green leaves are thickly set upon the spray 
making a denser foliage than that of the Black Cherry, and by 
the middle of July all the branches of a fruiting tree are so 
covered with clusters of berries as to make it as a whole look 
red. They do not remain long, however, for the birds love 
them, sour as they are, and carry them away in a few days. 
When midsummer comes the leaves frequently take the 
poise of the peach leaf, curving in at the edges and drooping 
curved from the branch. 
CHOKE CHERRY, WILD CHERRY 
Prinus virginiana, 
A shrub throughout the north, only becoming a tree in the south- 
western part of the United States. 
Bark.—Dark brown, slightly fissured. Branchlets at first light 
brown or reddish green, later they become darker brown tinged with 
red, and finally dark brown ; outer layer of bark separates easily in 
horizontal bands from the inner. Inner bark has a disagreeable 
odor. 
Wood.—Light brown ; heavy, hard, close-grained. Sp. gr., 0.6951 ; 
weight of cu. ft., 43.32 Ibs. 
Winter Buds.—Chestnut brown, acute or obtuse. Inner scales 
enlarge when spring growth begins, and often become an inch long. 
Leaves.—Alternate, oval, two to four inches long, one to two 
inches broad, wedge-shaped, or rounded at base, serrate, acuminate. 
Feather-veined. They come out of the bud conduplicate, pale, 
hairy ; when full grown are bright green above, paler beneath. In 
autumn they turn yellow. Petioles grooved, slender, two glands 
near the apex, sometimes many-glandular. Stipules lanceolate, 
acute, serrate, early deciduous. 
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