. he Great Slave Lake, in latitude62° N., it grows only to a height of about fivefeet. The general surface of the bark issmooth; but it is blackish and rough, detach-ing itself in narrow semi-circular, hard, thickplates, which adhere for a time to the tree,previous to dropping off. The trunk is usu-ally straight for about one fourth of its height, where it ramifies into a spreadingsummit of a handsome outline; but its foliage is too thin to display that massyrichness which gives so much beauty to the maples and many other trees. The
. he Great Slave Lake, in latitude62° N., it grows only to a height of about fivefeet. The general surface of the bark issmooth; but it is blackish and rough, detach-ing itself in narrow semi-circular, hard, thickplates, which adhere for a time to the tree,previous to dropping off. The trunk is usu-ally straight for about one fourth of its height, where it ramifies into a spreadingsummit of a handsome outline; but its foliage is too thin to display that massyrichness which gives so much beauty to the maples and many other trees. Theleaves are usually from two to four inches long, toothed, very much pointed, andof a beautiful, smooth, shining green, with two or more small reddish glandsat the base. The flowers are white, and occur in spikes, which, when fullyexpanded, have a beautiful effect. They put forth in Florida and the state ofGeorgia in the month of February, but in some parts of Canada, not before theearly part of June. The fruit is about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, of a. VIRGINIAN CHERRY-TREE. 269 roundish form, purplish-black colour, and edible, but slightly bitter to the arrives at maturity at St. Marys, in Georgia, by the first of June, but not inthe northern states and Canada before August or September, when it affords greatnourishment to several species of birds. Varieties. Much confusion has long existed among authors with regard to thechoke cherry., (Prunus virginiana, of Linnaeus,) and the wild cherry (Prunusserotina, of Ehrhart.) They appear to have been confounded by Michaux andothers, who mistook the latter for the choke cherry, and consequently describedit under the name of Cerasus virginiana; but, as we believe that they bothbelong to the same species, this is to us a matter of very little consequence. Bycomparing the two trees in a state of cultivation, it will be difficult to discoveranything like a specific distinction, or as Mr. Loudon says, even sufficient tocon
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbrownedj, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1851
