4 
The Cherries of Eastern Asia have never been more thickly covered 
with flowers than they have during the past week, and several of them 
are still worth a visit. The delicate petals of the flowers of these trees 
and shrubs seem able to bear without injury the coldest April weather 
Massachusetts has known for many years. 
The earliest Cherry to bloom in the Arboretum this spring was Pru¬ 
nus concinna, a small tree discovered by Wilson on the mountains of 
central China. In the Arboretum it first flowered when less than three 
feet high; it is perfectly hardy, and although the flowers, which are 
white with a wine-colored calyx, are less beautiful than those of sev¬ 
eral other Asiatic Cherries it does not seem possible for any plant of 
its size to produce a more abundant crop. There has always been 
misunderstanding about this plant in gardens as it was distributed by 
a London firm of nurserymen as Prunus subhirtella. 
Primus tomentosa, a native of northern and western China begins 
to open its flowers only a day or two later than P. concinna. It is a 
shrub only five or six feet high, and when fully grown in abundant 
space for the spread of its branches often broader than tall. The flow¬ 
ers open from pink buds as the leaves begin to unfold, and the bright red 
stalks and calyx make a handsome contrast with the white petals which 
are often blotched toward the base with rose color. The small fruit 
ripens in June and is scarlet covered with short hairs, and is sweet 
and of good flavor. This shrub is attracting the attention of pomolc- 
gists, living in the dry cold interior region of the continent where it 
is hardy and where it produces fruit of considerable comestible value. 
A form discovered in western China by Wilson (var. endotricha) is now 
established in the Arboretum where it blooms rather later than the 
northern plant. The fruit of this variety is destitute or nearly desti¬ 
tute of hairs. 
Prunus incisa. This is another early flowering Cherry and a native 
of Japan where it is abundant on the eastern and southern slopes of 
Fuji-san and on the Hakkone Mountains. It is a large shrub or small 
tree with white or rarely pale rose-colored flowers which appear in 
drooping clusters before the deeply lobed leaves. The petals fall early, 
but the calyx, which gradually grows brighter in color, remains for 
some time on the young fruit and is showy. P. incisa is perfectly 
hardy in the Arboretum where it has now flowered for several seasons. 
For some reason this beautiful plant, however, is rare in American 
and European gardens. 
Prunus triloba. Among the flowers of early spring few are more 
lovely than those of this little Almond from northern China which, in 
spite of the fact that it has flowered in the Arboretum every spring 
for thirty years, is still little known, although the form with double 
flowers (var. plena ) is a common garden plant in this country and is 
often forced under glass for winter decoration. The single-flowered 
plant should be better known. It is a tall shrub with a rather irreg¬ 
ular habit of growth. The flowers, which are pink, are produced in 
profusion. 
