EOSE FAMILY. 



119 



X P. Virginia'na, L. Leaves oval, oblong or obovate, abruptly 

 acuminate, sharply and often doubly serrate ; fruit red, turning to dark 

 crimson. 



YiRGixiAX Pkuxus. Choke Cherry. 



A tall shrub. Leaves 2-4 inches long, thinnish. Flowers in simple racemes 2-3 inches 

 in length ; petals roundish. Fruit about the size of a pea, rery austere and astringent 

 until perfectly ripe. 



River banks : most common northward. Fl. ilay. Fr. August. 



Obs. Doct. (rray found from the examination of the original speci- 

 mens in the Liunaean Herbarium that this is the true P. Yirginiaua, a 

 name which had been previously applied to the following species. 



8. P. sero'tina, Ehrhart. Leaves oblong, or lance-oblong, acuminate, 

 smooth, shining above, finely serrate with appr^ssed or incurved callous 

 teeth ; racemes elongated ; drupes globose, small, purplish-black. 

 Late Pruxus. Wild Cherry. Black Cherry. 



stem 40-60 or 80 feet high, and 2-3 feet in diameter at base, with large irregular 

 spreading branches. Leaves 2-4 or 5 inches long, subcoriaceous ; petMes half an inch to 

 three-quarters in length. Racemes simple, rather erect, 2-4 or o inches long. Petals 

 white, obovate. Drupes dark purple or purplish black when mature, succulent, bitter 

 and mawkish to the taste. 



Banks of streams ; fence-rows, &c.: Canada to Florida. Fl. May. Fr. August. 



Ohs. The Wild Cherry tree attains its greatest perfection on the 

 fertile banks of the Ohio and other rivers of the West, where it forms a 

 fine forest tree. On the Atlantic coast it is seldom more than a foot 

 in diameter. The wood is hard, close-grained, and takes a good polish ; 

 it is of a pale reddish tint which deepens with age. The bark is bitter, 

 with something of a peach-kernel flavor, and contains a small propor- 

 tion of prussic-acid ; it is considerably used in medicine and is consid- 

 ered a very valuable tonic, and forms, or is said to form, the basis of 

 several quack •' Balsams " and " Pectorals." The ripe fruit is a favorite 

 food of birds ; it is used to considerable extent in preparing " Cherry 

 Kum," " Cherry Bounce," &c. It is probable that, like most wild fruits, 

 the quality of this varies from local causes, some considering it pleasant 

 when fully ripe, while to others it is nauseous. * 



§ 4. Laurocerasus, (Laurel Cherry) . Leaves evergreen ; flowers from 

 the axils of the haves of the former season. 



9. P. Carolinia'na, Ait. Leaves oblong-lanc,eolate, acuminate, mu- 

 crouate, entire or spiny-serrate, thick, smooth ; flowers in dense racemes, 

 shorter than the leaves ; drupes black, juiceless, persistent. 

 Carolina Prunus. Evergreen Cherry. 



Tree 30 - .50 feet high. Leaves shining above, almost veinless ; destitute of glands. Petals 

 small. Stamens about 15. 

 River banks ; South Carolina to Louisiana and Arkansas. March -April. 



Obs. This tree is noticed on account of the poisonous qualities of 

 its leaves, which, according to Elliott, frequently destroy cattle that 

 browse upon them in the spring of the year. From the leaves of the 

 nearly related European Cherry Laurel (P. Laurocerasus) is distilled 



