PYRUS. 



found it in Greece, as well as on mounts Hxmus aud 

 Athos, and in woods near Conllantinoplc. Ray Ipeaks of 

 it as wild in the mountainous parts of Cornwall and Staf- 

 fordlhire. It is now rarely cultivated, being, though a 

 handfome tree, yet of flow growtli, and inferior in the value 

 of its fruit to the Medlar. A lolitary individual of this 

 fpecies now and then occurs, about ancient nianfions and 

 very old orchards. It blofloms in May. The haves are 

 larger, and the Jloivers twice the dimenfions of the lall, 

 being the fize of hawthorn-blofToms, rather panicled than 

 corymbofe. Fruit hke a imall pear, reddifli, above an inch 

 long, with five cells, anfwcrable to the five jlyles ; its cells 

 with two valves, like thofe of a Common Pear ; and though 

 only one feed is perfcdted in each cell, Gxrtner obferved 

 two in an early ftate. This frui/, if tailed before it is mel- 

 low, occafions a moil intolerable forenefs at the back of the 

 palate, laiting many hours. When ripe it is foft, brown, 

 and agi-eeably acid. Tlie name Service is evidently a cor- 

 ruption of Scrbus. 



27. F. lormineilis. Wild Service Pear-tree. Ehrh. Beitr. 

 fafc. 6. 92. Sm. Fl. Brit. n. 3. Willd. Sp. PI. n. 21. 

 Ait. n. 17. (Crataegus torminalis ; Linn. Sp. PI. 6S!. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 298. Fl. Dan. t. 798. Jacq. Auftr. t. 443. 

 Mill. Illuftr. t. 42. Sorbus torminalis; Ger. Em. 1471. 

 Matth. Valo-r. v. 1. 239.) — Leaves fimple, fomewliat heart - 

 Ihaped, ferrated, acute, fmooth, feven-lobed ; the lower 

 lobes fpreading Native of Germany, Switzerland, Eng- 

 land, and the Levant, in woods, flowering in April or 

 May. A moderate-fized tree, with a hard wood, and 

 fmooth bark. Leaves on long Hslks, without Jlijiulas, un- 

 equally lobed, pointed ; their ribs fomctimes downy be- 

 neath. Corymbs downy, much branched. Flowers fmaller 

 than the lalt. Styles three, four, or hve. Fruit brown, 

 dotted, twice the fize of a haw, very pleafantly acid and 

 pulpy, when touched by froft, and often fold in the London 

 fruit-fhops. By the fpecific name, it fliould fecm to be of 

 a griping quality. Tragus, in his p. loro, reprefents it as 

 powerfully expelling worms. 



28. P. hybrida. Mule Service Pear-tree. Willd. n. 22. 

 Moench. Weiflenft. 90. t. 6. Willd. — Leaves elliptical, 

 ferrated, downy beneath ; fimple or pinnate, the terminal 

 one largeft. Flowers corymbofe. Calyx hairy. — This is 

 aflerted by Profeflbr Willdenow, from whom we have fpe- 

 cimcns, to be a mule produftion, from the firft fpecies, P. 

 arbutifolia, impregnated by the 25th, aucuparia. It retains 

 indeed as great a refemblance to both parents as it poffibly 

 could to what are fo diflirailar to each other. The fimple 

 leaves are two inches or more in length, obtufe, ftrongly 

 ferrated ; the lateral leajlets, of the compound ones, half, or 

 one-third, as large, unequal at the bafe. Stipulas ovale, 

 toothed, recurved. Floiuers not much unlike the lall, but 

 their cymes fomewhat fmaller, with hairy, rather than 

 downy, ftalks. It is curious that the rib of each leaf, on 

 its upper fide, retains fome portion of the brown glands 

 characteriftic of P. arbutifolia. 



29. P. anthyUidifoUa. Kidney-vetch- leaved Service-tree. 

 — Leaves pinnate, entire ; filky beneath. Corymbs axil- 

 lary and terminal, of few flowers. — Gathered in the Sand- 

 wich iflands, by Mr. Menzies, to whom we are obliged for 

 fpecimens, under the name of Sorbus, to which, nov/ abo- 

 lifhed, Linnxan genus there can be no doubt that this tree 

 belong?, though we have not feen the fruit. The leaves 

 are all uniformly pinnate, two orlnree inches long, of eight 

 or nine pair, befides an odd one, of equal, oblong or obo- 

 vate, obtufe, minutely pointed, entire leaflets, half an inch 

 at leaft; in length ; fmooth and {hining above ; paler and 

 niky beneath. Stipulas lanceolate, a little hairy, deciduous. 



Flowerflalh axillary and terminal, nearly the length of the 

 leaves, downy, corymbofe, though each bears but three or 

 four flowers, which are about the Cze of P. aucuparia. 

 Bractcas awl-fliaped. Calyx woolly. Styles, as far as we 

 can fee, three, hairy at the bafe. The leaves of this very 

 pretty and remarkable fpecies llrikingly convey the idea, at 

 firll fight, of fonic kind of Aiithyllis, efpecially A. Barba 

 Jovis. 



Pyitu.s, in Gardening, contains plants of tlie fruit-tre» 

 kind, of which the fpecies cultivated are the common pear- 

 tree (P. communis) ; the common apple-tree (P. malus) ; 

 the Chincfe apple-tree (P. fpectabihs) ; the Siberian crab- 

 tree (P. pruniioha) ; the fweet-fcented crab-tree (P. co- 

 ronaria) ; and the quince-tree (P. cydonia.) 



With reipeft to the firft, it is obferved that " the wild 

 pear, the mother of all the orchard and garden varieties, is 

 thorny. The ilipules are fetaceous, white (or reddifli), 

 deciduous ; the peduncles alternate ; and the calyx clothed 

 viith a ferruginous wool." 



There are numerous varieties ; but thofe of moft import- 

 ance for cultivation are. 



The little muflc, which is often termed the fupreme. 

 The fruit, when ripe, is of a yellow colour ; the juice fome- 

 what mufl<y ; and, when gathered before it be too ripe, it 

 is a good fruit. It becomes ripe about the latter end of 

 July, but continues good only a very fliort time. 



The chio, or httle baftard mufk, which is pretty much 

 like the other, but fmaller. The fldn, when ripe, has a 

 few ftreaks of red on the fun fide. 



The green chiffel, or Mailings, which is a middle-fized 

 fruit, that always remains green, and is full of juice when 

 ripe. It becomes ripe in the beginning of Auguil. •« 



The red mufcadelle, which is a krge early pear, of great 

 beauty ; the fliin is of a beautiful yellow, itriped with red, 

 and the flefli has a rich flavour. It fometimes produces two 

 crops in a year ; the firft about the end of July, and the 

 fecond in September, or thereabouts. 



The little mufcat, which is a fmall pear, having the fl<in 

 very thin, and of a yellowifli colour, when ripe. This fruit 

 has a rich muflcy flavour, but does not keep long. It be- 

 comes ripe about the beginning of Augutt. 



The lady's thigh, which is here commonly called jar- 

 gonelle, is of a ruflet-green colour from the fun, but to- 

 wards it inclining to an iron colour ; the flefli is breaking, 

 and has a rich muflcy flavour. It becomes ripe about the 

 middle of Auguil. 



The Windfor, which has a fmooth fl<iii, and when ripe 

 is of a yellowiih-green colour ; the flefli is very foft, and, if 

 permitted to hang but two or three days after it is ripe, 

 grows mealy, and is good for nothing. It becomes ripe 

 about the latter end of Auguft. 



The jargonelle, which is commonly called cuifle madame. 

 According to Mr. Forfyth, it is certainly the true French 

 jargonelle, and the pear that commonly goes by that name 

 here is the real cuifle madame, or lady's thigh ; it being 

 very probable that the names have been changed, in coming 

 to this country. This pear is fomewhat like the Windfor ; 

 the fl<in is fmooth, and of a pale green colour. It is a 

 plentiful bearer ; but the flefli is apt to be mealy, if it ftands 

 to be ripe, which is about the middle of Auguil. It bears 

 beft on ftandards. 



The orange muflt, which is of a yellow colour, fpotted 

 with black ; the flefli is mulky, but very apt to be dry. It 

 ripens about the latter end of Auguft. 



The great blanquet, or bagpipe of Aniou, which has a 

 fmooth fliin of a pale green colour ; the flefli is foft, and 



full 



