PRUNUS — PLUM AND CHERRY. 135 



ROSACE/E. 



Character of the Order. — Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with alternate, stipulate 

 leaves and regular flowers. Sepals commonly 5, rarely less or more, 

 united at the base, often appearing double by a row of bractlets outside ; 

 petals as many as the sepals, rarely wanting, inserted with the stamens 

 upon the calyx ; stamens numerous, rarely few ; pistil 1 or many, distinct, 

 or in the pear tribe united and combined with the calyx-tube. Fruits ex- 

 ceedingly varied. 



A very large and important order, represented in all parts of the globe. 

 Very many of the species produce valuable fruits, and but few are pos- 

 sessed of deleterious properties. Authorities differ widely as to the j^roper 

 limitations of the order. Torrey and Gray ("Flora of North America") in- 

 clude in it four sub-orders, namely : Chrysobalanece, Amygdalece, Bosacece, 

 and Pomece. The first-named sub-order comprises no medicinal species. 



AMYGDALEyE. 



Character of the Sab-Order. — Calyx entirely free from the (usually) 

 solitary ovary, deciduous. Style terminal or nearly so. Fruit a drupe 

 (stone-fruit), 1-seeded or rarely 2-seeded. Trees or shrubs, with simple 

 leaves, the bark exuding gum, and the bark, leaves, and kernels yielding 

 the peculiar flavor of prussic acid (Gray). This section comprises all 

 the plants of the order which possess noxious or poisonous properties, 

 and in all the poisonous principle is the same — prussic acid — not existing 

 as such in the leaves, bark, and kernels, but produced, as will be seen 

 later on, by infusion in water. It is represented in North America by the 

 genus 



PRUNUS.— Plum and Ciierry. 



Character of the Genua. — Calyx 5-cleft, urn-shaped, bell-shaped, or 

 tubular-obconical, deciduous after flowering. Petals 5, distinct, spread- 

 ing, inserted with the stamens upon the calyx-tube. Stamens 15 to 20. 

 Ovary solitary, 2-ovulecl. Fruit fleshy, with a bony stone. Commonly 

 small trees or shrubs, with edible fruit. 



Prunus serotina Ehrhart (Cfe?mMs serotina Loiseleur, Cerasus Virgin- 

 iana Michaux, Prunus Virginiana Miller). — Wild Cherry, Wild Black Cherry. 



Description. — Petals small, obovate, quickly deciduous. Fruit about the 

 size of a pea, nearly black when ripe, and of a slightly bitter taste. 



In favorable locations a large forest tree. Leaves 5 to G inches long, 

 lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, serrate with short incurved teeth, some- 

 what coriaceous, dark shining green. Flowers in long terminal racemes, 

 appearing in June after the tree is in full leaf. 



Habitat. — Canada to Florida and westward ; very common. 



