BJL TMORE 



BOTANICAL STUDIES 



163 



branches spreading or ascending, forming a wide crown : twigs 

 glabrous, shining : leaves elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, rarely ovate 

 or obovate, the blades 2-g cm long, i~4 cm wide, acute or acuminate 

 at the apex, narrowed or rounded at the base, sharply serrate, 

 biglandular at the base or on the upper portion of the petioles ; 

 they are finely pubescent on both surfaces and especially along 

 the prominent midrib and veins beneath, thin in texture, bright 

 green above, pale beneath, fading in early autumn with tones of 

 yellow: petioles 4~io mm long, densely pubescent: flowers, which 

 appear before the leaves and expand towards the end of March, 

 produced in 2-6-flowered umbels, and are borne on slender, gla- 

 brous pedicels, 8 mm -2 cm long : hypanthium glabrous, at least the 

 lower portion : sepals triangular, subacute, pubescent on the 

 exterior and very densely so on the inner surface : drupe oblong, 

 io-i4 mm long, at maturity dark purple with a glaucous bloom : 

 stone ovoid or oval, slightly compressed, about i cm long, pointed 

 at both ends and especially at the apex, crested on one margin. 



Prunus mitis is common in dry soil in Lee county, Alabama, and is repre- 

 sented in many herbaria by specimens distributed under labels of the Alabama 

 Biological Survey. 



The type specimens, which are preserved in the Biltmore Herbarium, were 

 collected at Auburn, Lee county, Alabama, March 27 and May 20, 1900, by F. S. 

 and Esther S Earle, No. 27. — C. D. Beadle. 



Biltmore Herbarium, 

 Biltmore, N C. 



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