Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
September,  1895. 
Structure  of  Our  Cherry  Barks. 
449 
scurf  is  rubbed  from  the  surface  of  the  periderm,  a  fine  red-brown 
or  mahogany  color  is  exposed. 
In  this  species,  as  in  P.  Avium,  there  appears  to  be  but  a  slight 
development  of  the  secondary  cortex.  Similarly,  the  medullary 
rays  of  the  inner  bark  are  oblique  and  wavy.  They  are,  however, 
narrower,  being  seldom  more  than  three  cells  broad.    The  fissuring 
Fig.  14. — Cross  section  of  stem  bark  of  Prunus  Virginiana. 
and  the  collapsed  sieve  tissue  are  also  similar.    The  older  portions 
of  the  inner  bark  abound  in  tortuous  and  strongly  lignified  scleren- 
chyma  fibres,  similar  to  those  of  P.  Avium,  but  the  clusters  of  more 
typical  bast  fibres  are  considerably  less  numerous. 
The  taste  of  this  bark  resembles  that  of  P.  Avium,  being  decidedly 
bitter,  somewhat  astringent,  but  scarcely  at  all  aromatic. 
