74 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
Jardin Strasbourg 323. 1807) is a spiny shrub or small tree, bearing small 
worthless fruits; a native of arid soils in the regions of olives in southern 
Europe. P. salicifolia Pallas (Itin. 3:734. 1776) is a small spiny tree 
from the Crimea, Caucasas, and Armenia; the fruit has little or no value. 
P. syriaca Boissier (Diag. Nov. Pl. Orient 10:1. 1849) is a thorny, shrubby 
tree from Syria, Asia Minor, and Kurdistan. 
A review of botanical literature shows several other names of doubt- 
ful species of Pyrus which seem more likely to be hybrids or abnormal 
escapes from orchards. There are, also, many names which seem to be 
synonyms. Material and literature at hand do not enable the author to 
make certain of these, even if any sufficiently worthy purpose could be 
served in a pomological text. 
ORIENTAL PEARS 
The oriental pears have been brought to America in comparatively 
recent years, chiefly as ornamentals and for blight-resistant stocks; but 
hybrids of at least one species of this group, P. serotina, with the common 
pear have given many valuable orchard varieties. The Chinese and Japan- 
ese cultivate several species for their fruits. These pears constitute a group 
quite distinct in aspect of tree and fruit, but no characters not in occidental 
species are found in all species of the oriental group. The most constant 
differences, besides region of origin, are found in the leaves and the calyx. 
The leaves in most species are markedly acuminate and their margins 
are sharp-serate or setose-serrate. The calyx falls from the fruit in the 
species now cultivated for food, but does not in two species promising for 
stocks. 
4. PYRUS SEROTINA Rehder 
1. Rehder Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 50:213. 1915. 
Tree vigorous, upright, attaining a height of 20 to 50 ft., the branches -becoming 
glabrous. Leaves ovate-oblong, sometimes ovate, 3 to 5 in. long, rounded at the base 
and rarely subcordate or cuneate, long-acuminate, sharply setose-serrate, with partially 
appressed seratures; when young, villous, or lower surface cobwebby, but becoming glabrous. 
Flowers white, borne in 6 to 9 flowered umbellate-racemose clusters; glabrous or somewhat 
tomentose and borne on slender pedicels; calyx-lobes triangular-ovate and long-acuminate, 
; to 3 in. long, glandulose-denticulate; petals oval, short-clawed, 2 in. long; stamens about 
20; styles 4 or 5, glabrous. Fruit sub-globose, russet-brown; stalk slender; calyx 
deciduous. 
This oriental pear has been referred to P. sinensis Lindley (not Poiret) 
by botanists and horticulturists since its introduction in Europe nearly 
