XX. ANOMALÆ.
CONSPECTUS OF THE ARBORESCENT SPECIES.
Stamens 5—15; corymbs glabrous; leaves scabrate above.152. [C. scabrida] (A). Stamens 20; corymbs villose; leaves glabrous above.153. [C. virilis] (A).
152. [Cratægus scabrida] Sarg.
Leaves oval to obovate, acuminate, gradually narrowed from near the middle to the acuminate base, irregularly glandular-serrate nearly to the base, and divided above into numerous short spreading lobes coated above when the flowers open at the end of May with short pale hairs, and at maturity thick and firm, dark green and scabrate on the upper surface, pale yellow-green and glabrous on the lower surface, 2′—3′ long, and 1½′—2′ wide; petioles slender, occasionally glandular, often slightly winged toward the apex, ½′—1¼′ in length. Flowers ¾′ in diameter, on slender glabrous pedicels, in broad glabrous corymbs; calyx narrowly obconic, glabrous, the lobes linear-lanceolate, long-acuminate, finely glandular-serrate; stamens 5—15; anthers small, pale yellow; styles 3, surrounded at base by a thick tuft of pale tomentum. Fruit in loose drooping clusters, subglobose, scarlet, ½′ in diameter, only the base of the reflexed calyx-lobes persistent on the ripe fruit; flesh yellow, thick, dry and mealy; nutlets 3, rounded and prominently ridged on the back, ⅓′ long, the ventral depression wide, shallow, irregular, often obscure.
A tree, 15°—20° high, with a trunk 6′ to 8′ in diameter, spreading horizontal branches forming a broad round-topped head, and stout slightly zigzag glabrous branchlets marked by oblong pale lenticels, dark chestnut-brown during their first season, becoming ashy gray during their second year, and armed with slender straight or curved spines 1½′—2′ in length; or often a tall intricately branched shrub.
Distribution. Valley of the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal, Province of Quebec to the neighborhood of Toronto, southern Ontario; northern and western Vermont; southern New Hampshire (slopes of Little Monadnock Mountain); western Massachusetts, and western New York.
153. [Cratægus virilis] Sarg.
Leaves oblong-obovate, acuminate or rounded and short-pointed at apex, concave-cuneate and gradually narrowed to the acute entire base, finely doubly serrate above with straight glandular teeth, and slightly divided above the middle into 3 or 4 pairs of small acuminate lobes, nearly fully grown when the flowers open during the first week of June and then thin, yellow-green, smooth and slightly hairy above and pale bluish green and covered below with short white hairs most abundant on the stout yellow midrib and slender primary veins, and at maturity thin, glabrous, dark green and lustrous on the upper surface, slightly villose on the lower surface, 2½′—3′ long, and 1¾′—2′ wide; petioles stout, wing-margined often to below the middle, slightly villose on the upper side early in the season, soon glabrous, ⅗′—1′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots subcoriaceous, oval to rhombic, acuminate, often long-pointed, 3′—4′ long, and 2′—2½′ wide, with a rose-colored midrib and stout broadly winged petiole. Flowers about ½′ in diameter, on slender villose pedicels, in broad lax hairy usually 15—18-flowered corymbs; calyx-tube narrowly obconic, coated with long matted pale hairs, the lobes slender, acuminate, irregularly glandular-serrate near the middle, glabrous on the outer, slightly villose on the inner surface, reflexed after anthesis; stamens 20, anthers slightly tinged with pink, styles 4 or 5. Fruit ripening from the middle to the end of September, on puberulous reddish pedicels, in erect or spreading few-fruited clusters, short-oblong to ovoid, scarlet, lustrous, pubescent especially near the rounded ends, marked by small dark dots, ⅖′—½′ long, and about 1⅓′ in diameter; calyx prominent, with long slender spreading and reflexed coarsely serrate usually persistent lobes villose on the upper surface; flesh thin, yellow, rather dry; nutlets 4 or 5, acute at the ends, prominently ridged on the back with a broad deeply grooved ridge, generally furnished with obscure ventral depressions, about ¼′ long.
A tree, sometimes 30° high, with a short trunk frequently 1° in diameter, covered with dark scaly bark, stout ascending branches forming a narrow open irregular head, and slender nearly straight glabrous branchlets dark orange-green when they first appear, becoming light chestnut-brown, lustrous and marked by pale lenticels in their first season, and armed with stout straight or slightly curved bright chestnut-brown shining spines 1½′—2′ in length, long persistent and becoming branched on old stems.
Distribution. Fence rows, southwest of the village of Weston, near Toronto, Ontario.