92 



Descriptive Flora 



Primus minutiflora Engelm. Dwarf Plum. 



Rigid, intricately branched, spreading shrub, up to 3' high, 

 (usually iy 2 to 2'), with very small leaves and minute solitary 

 flowers. Leaf -blades less than y 2 l° n &> entire or with few coarse 

 teeth, usually larger above the middle, clustered on short 

 branches. Fruits similar to our orchard plum, but smaller 

 (3/16 to y 2 " long) and having a velvety skin. Blossoms in 

 February and March. Plums are ripe in April and May. 



Prunus Tarda Sarg. Wild Plum. 



Large shrub or tree with clusters of fragrant white blossoms 

 appearing before the leaves at the ends of short, grey, smooth 

 branchlets. Leaf-blades oblong to obovate, iy 2 to 3" long, finely 

 saw-toothed, smooth above, finely haired on the midrib and its 

 branches. Flowers y 2 — %" across, 2 or 3 together. Pedicels 

 smooth, %" or less long. Calyx lobes hairy on both sides. Petals 

 5, white. Stamens numerous. Fruit a yellow, purple, red, blue 

 or black plum, y 2 or less long, almost globular, covered with a 

 bloom and containing a flattened stone rounded at the base. 

 Ripe in May or June. Common in ravines. February and early 

 March. 



Primus glaivdulosa Hook. 



Low, branched, somewhat thorny shrub, with zigzag branches 

 and white 5-petaled flowers similar to those of Prunus tarda 

 described above. Leaves simple, alternate. Blades y 2 to 1" long, 

 oblong to oblong-elliptic, finely saw-toothed with glandular-tipped 

 teeth. Petioles short. Flowers usually in twos, sometimes soli- 

 tary. Pedicels less than 1" long. Sepals conspicuously glandu- 

 lar-toothed. Fruits velvety-skinned, yellow, rather tasteless, 

 coarse-grained. Plums ripe in April and May. Not common. 



MIMOSACEAE. Mimosa Family. 

 Acacia roemeriana Sohlecht. Devil's Claws. 



Round-flowered Catsclaw. 

 Shrub armed with stout, recurved prickles and bearing 



