BOTANICAL INDEX 
27 
Engelmann says he was “unable to distinguish the stones of V. pr uni folium and V. 
lentago, and almost felt inclined to unite both, as in his neighborhood (St. Louis) at 
least the former was a most variable plant, with broad or narrow, obtuse, acute or 
acuminate, glabrous or rusty leaves, and larger or smaller flowers, growing in rocky 
woods or in deep bottoms, and with many approaches to the Eastern V. lentago, which 
in its typical form is not found near there.'’ — Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sciences. 
By a reference to standard botanies, we find a generic description to read : 
GENUS VIBURNUM. Linn. 
“Shrubs with simple, opposite leaves, and numerous small white flowers in a flat, 
compound, terminal cyme. Each flower has a minute, 5-toothed calyx; a rotate or 
bell-shaped corolla, which is 5-lobed at the edge; 5-stamens; 1 — 3 nearly sessile 
stigmas; and an ovary possessing in the young state 2 or 3 cells, but becoming 1-celled 
and 1-seeded as it ripens into the berry.” 
The origin of the name Viburnum is very uncertain, but usually considered as 
being derived from the Latin verb vieo, to tie. “ The ancients made use of the word 
viburna to signify any pliant, branched plant, that could be used for tieing or bend- 
ing.” — ( Treas . of Botany.) 
A few years ago we transplanted a fine, thrifty young specimen of the Black Haw 
from a swampy or peaty thicket to a dry corner of our garden, where it has even more 
than fulfilled our expectations as an ornamental shrub, as well as bearing a desirable 
fruit. In all our botanies its habitat is given as “ woods or dry copses,” (sparsely 
wooded fields,) but the finest specimens of the fruit we ever saw were those found in 
1 swampy thickets and hedges, or near streams of running water; however, it is quite 
doubtful whether the locality of the shrub makes any material difference with the 
fruit — probably we accidentally found finer examples of fruit in these places. But 
be that as it may, it illustrates its capability of adapting itself to a dry or moist situ- 
ation as occasion may require, which is of the utmost importance in cultivation. 
I There can be no reasonable doubt of its susceptibility of improvement under cultiva 
tion, as well as in the hands of professional hybridizers or skillful nurserymen, and 
we hope to see the experiment made and to learn of the results. Probably the fruit 
is unknown to most of our readers, especially by name, so we will add a description 
of both fruit and tree, as given by Profs. Gray and Wood, adding a few notes of our 
own observation. 
Viburnum Prunifolium, Linn. “A small tree or tall shrub, growing from 10 to 20 
feet high, with smooth, slender stem and branches; large, obtuse or slightly pointed, 
finely and sharply serrated, bright green leaves, (2 or 3 inches long,) changing to a 
rich glossy, bronzy crimson with frost in fall, and remaining attached to the branches 
until late in fall or early winter. Whole plant glabrous, or covered with some 
minute rusty scurf. Flowers terminal, white, in a flat compound cyme about 4 inches 
in diameter, but each separate flower small, almost minute, all alike and perfect, 
sterile, and produced in May or June. Fruit, a 1-celled, 1-seeded, black oval drupe, 
nearly % inch long, ripening in October with a bluish bloom, giving the fruit a 
metallic hue; flesh a soft, sweet, edible pulp, with a thin, very flat and even, crus- 
taceous, broadly oval or orbicular stony nut or seed.” 
At the head of this article we give a representation (Fig. 95) of an end of a branch 
cut in November, showing the exact form and size of the leaves, with the terminal 
bud enclosed and protected by two hard, horny scales. The small, perfect flowers 
are already formed in the bud, and only await the warm, genial spring sun to develop 
and burst the scales. The flowers are represented at Fig. 95, a, about one-half natural 
size, while at b is a single flower enlarged to show its true character. The fruit is 
i represented at Fig. 95, c, a little less than the natural size of the fruit from our gar- 
den, which, however, is some larger than that usually grown on the ordinary wild 
trees, and the fruit is produced quite freely, even on quite young shrubs. 
But it must be borne in mind that nearly all our choice varieties of table fruit bear 
very little resemblance to the original or typical species from which they originated, 
and the change has been usually produced by carefully selecting the finest examples 
of wild fruit, to improve either by cultivation or hybridizing, and again to select 
only from the most perfect cultivated fruit for still further improving. This is a 
| subject the importance of which cannot well be over estimated, and we particularly 
wish to impress upon our fruit-growing friends the fact that they have within their 
reach the foundation of a fruit new to economic and commercial values, but which 
we think is destined at some future day to form a very important addition to our 
desirable fruits. 
Another very important consideration in connection with this fruit is its extreme 
hardiness, differing in this respect from most of our cultivated fruits by not being so 
liable to suffer from our occasional severe winters. Add to this their quality as pro- 
ducing a desirable fruit the fact that they are a very desirable ornamental lawn 
shrub, both in spring when in flower, and'in fall when they are clothed with their 
bronzy foliage. 
