Sjiec. Char., 4c. Leaves ovate acuminate, o f the form o f those o f tlie beech.
The petioles long and glandless. F ru it small. A native o f mountainous
districts ill the most remote parts o f Siberia. P e rso o u has stated th a t it
varies with leaves linear-lanceolate. {Dec. Prod.) A low tree, having the
general appearance of the common apricot, b u t smaller in all its parts.
Daliui'ia, on mountains, growing upon th e face o f perpendicular rocks exposed
to the sun. Height Gft. to 8 f t . ; in England 8 f t. to 2 0 ft. In tro duced
in 1788. Flowers ro s e -co lo u red ; May. D ru p e ? .
This tree, on the mountains o f Dahuria, does n o t attain a greater height
than th a t of a man ; but it has a trunk the thickness of th e wrist, a rough and
black bark, and hard wood. I t flowers about th e same time as the iihodo-
déndron d aiiricum; growing on the south sides of th e mountains, while tho
la tte r grows on the north sides. When both these plants are in flower,
Pallas observes, th e north sides of the mountains appear o f a pur¡>le colour,
and th e south o f a rose colour. (Fl. Ross., i. p. 13.) In British gardens, the
Siberian apricot forms a tree o f nearly th e same height as th e common apricot,
o f which it appears to us to be th e wild form.
¥ 4. A. ( r . ) b r i g a n t i ' a c a Pers.
Identification^ P e rs . Syn., 2, p. 36. j D e c . P ro d ., 2. ]
P rù n u s bbrriiggaannteìac a Vili. B a u p b . 3. p.
Ham. 5. p. 185.
E n g ra v in g s . N. D u H am., 5. t. .59. ; an d o u r fig. 436.
The Brianyon Apricot Tree.
532. ; D o n ’s Mill., 2. p. 498.
5., Bee . FL Fr. No. 3789, Lois, in N . D u
Spec. Char.,4c. Leaves nearly heart-shaped, toothed
with numerous sharp subimhricate te e th . Flowers
in groups, almost sessile, scarcely p rotruded before
the leaves. (Dec. Prod.) A low tree. Dau-
phine, in only one locality, and in a n o th e r in
Piedmont, where an oil, called huile de marmotte,
has for a long time been expressed from the
seeds. Height in British gardens 14 ft. to 15 ft.
in 10 or 12 y e a rs; in its native habitats, Gft. to
8 ft. Introduced in 1819. Flowers w hite or pink ;
March and April. D ru p e ?.
Seringe suggested that this kind may be the same
as A. sibirica, and we think it not unlikely to be only
another variety o f the common apricot in its wild
state, with toothed leaves. 436. A . (v .) b rig aiitla ca .
Other Species of Armenìaca.— A. pedunculàta Led. has been raised in the
Hort. Soc. Garden, from seeds received under this name from Dr. Lcdebour.
G e n u s IV .
P R U 'N U S Thara. T h e P lum . Lin. Syst. Icosândria Monogynia.
Identification. T o u ru . In s t., t . 358. ; Dec. P ro d ., 2. p. 532. j D o n ’s Mill., 2. 498.
Si/nonyjnes. P ru n ó p h o ra Neck . E lem . No. 7 '9 . ; -Prùnus sp. of Lin. an d o th ers ; P ru n o , Ital.
Derivation. Said to be a word o f Asiatic origin ; th e wild p lan t, ac cording to Galen, being called
prow n n o s in Asia. T h e Greek name fo r th e plum is p ro u n è : it occurs in T h eo p h rastu s.
Gen. Char. Drupe ovate or oblong, fleshy, quite glabrous, covered with a
glaucous bloom ; containing a compressed n u t or putamen, which is acute a t
both ends, and a little furrowed on the margin, th e re s t smooth. (Doris MUL)
Leaves simple, alternate, stipulate, deciduous ; convolute when young.
Flowers usually disposed in umbellate fescicles, solitary on th e pedicels, rising
generally before th e leaves.— Trees or shrubs ; natives of E u rope, Asia, and
North America. i
Many of the species are spiny in a wild s t a t e ; most o f them bear edible
fruits; and all o f them have showy blossoms. In British gardens, they are
chiefly propagated by grafting, b u t some o f them by layers ; and they will grow
in any soil that is tolerably free, and not overcharged with moisture, b u t a calcareous
soil is found best. The epidermis o f th e bark o f th e plum, as well as
that of the cherry, and perhaps th a t o f some o f th e othe r genera o f rimygdalem,
is readily divisible transversely, and may frequently be seen divided in this
manner into rings on th e tree.
t 1. P . spiNo'sA L . The spiny Plum Tree, or common Sloe Thorn.
Identification. Lin. S p ., 3. 681. ; Dec, P ro d ,, 2. p. 632. ; D o n ’s Mill., 2. p. 498. ,
Syno.n -y _m11eî s. TP?/—. sylvéstris n-F. *ult4cT h. F,l1i.s. t.T >p — .î „4 04T.?,. . B- aCJy — 1S.1 y—n..1 —p . 4 62 .;C _Bl-1l a c kYtIhJo__rn_; y“P. r u n ie r épineux, Prunellier, E'p in e noire, o r Mère-du-Bois, F r . ; Schlêadorn, o r Schien Pflaum. Ger. ; P ru g n o , or
Prunel”l o, IVtartl/..
Engravings. Vahl F l. Dan., t. 926.; th e plate in Arb. B rit., 1st ed it., vol. v . ; and o u r fig . 437.
Berivation- T h e name o f M6re-du-Bois is applied to th e sloe th o rn in F ran c e, in th e neighbourhood
of Montargis, because it has been remarked th e re , th a t, when it was established on th e margins of
woods, its und erg ro u n d shoots, and th e suckers which sp ran g up from th em , h ad a co n stan t te n dency
to ex ten d th e wood over th e adjoining fields.
Spec. Char., 4e. Branches spiny. Leaves obovate, elliptical, or o v a te ; downy
beneath, doubly and sharply toothed. Flowers produced before the leaves
or with them, white, and solitary. Calyx cam panulate; with lobes blunt,
and longer than th e tube. F ru it globose; th e flesh austere. (Dec. Prod.)
A low tree or shrub. Europe from Upsal to Naples, and th e West of
Asia and North o f Africa. Height 10 ft. to 15 ft. Flowers w h ite ; March
and April. Drupe b la c k ; ripe in October.
Varieties.
¥ P . Í. 1 vulgàris Ser. P . spinósa io is . (N . D u Ham., 5. p. 185. t. 54.
f. 1.) — Leaves obovate-elliptical. F ru it dark purple. This m ay b e
considered as the normal form o f the species.
¥ P. s. 2 filiis variegàtis Ser. — F o u n d wild ; but a plant o f no beauty.
¥ P . Í. 3 microcàrpa Wallr. (E x s . Cent. l.N o . 45.) — Leaves elliptic;
narrow, bluntish. F ru it smaller than th a t o f the species.
¥ P . s. 4 macrocárpa Wallr. (E x s . Cent. 1. No. 45.) — Leaves obovate,
bluntish. F ru it large, dark purple. This has been found wild in
Germany; b u t Seringe doubts whether it be n o t identical with P.
doméstica Juliana, or with P . insititia.
S P . s. 5 ovàta Ser. (Blackw. Herb., t. 494.) — Leaves ovate, roundish.
¥ P . s. 6 flòre pièno.— This is a very beautifnl variety, said to be iu cultivation,
and highly prized, in China and Japan ; and also found wild
some years ago a t Tarascón. The flowers are white, and are produced
in such abundance as to entirely cover th e branches.
The sloe, or blackthorn, is much more frequently seen as a large spiny shrub,
than as a tre e ; but, when the suckers are removed from it, and all the strength
of the plant is allowed to go into one stem, it forms a small scrubby tree of the
most characteristic kind. The stems o f th e sloe differ from those o f the hawthorn,
in gi'owing to th e height o f 3 or 4 feet before they branch off. The
bark is black, whence th e name o f blackthorn ; and th e leaves are dark green.
The roots are ci-eeping, and, in every soil and situation, throw up numerous
suckers ; so much so, th a t a single plant, in a favourable soil, would cover an
acre of ground in a very few years. In hedges, in Britain, it is seldom seen
above 20 ft. in height ; but in woods and in parks, as single trees, we have seen
it above 30 ft. high : for example, in Eastwell P a rk , in Kent. The wood is
hard, and in colour resembles th a t o f the peach, though without its beauty : it
takes a fine polish ; b u t it is so apt to crack, th a t little use can be made o f it,
except for handles for tools, te e th for hay-rakes, swingles for flails, and
walking-sticks. T h e wood weighs, when dry, nearly 521b. jier cubic foot.
The branches, from being less spreading than those o f the common hawthorn,
make better dead hedges than those of th a t species ; and, for the same reason,
they are particularly well adapted for forming guards to th e stems of trees
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