3. [Cratægus peoriensis] Sarg.
Leaves obovate, short-pointed or occasionally rounded at the broad apex, gradually narrowed, cuneate and entire below, sharply and often doubly serrate usually only above the middle, and sometimes irregularly lobed with short broad terminal lobes, when they unfold villose above, especially toward the base of the midrib, and bright bronze color, becoming at maturity thick and firm, glabrous, dark green and very lustrous above, pale below, 1½′—2′ long, and ¾′ wide, with 4 or 5 pairs of thin primary veins conspicuous on the under side and extending obliquely from the slender midrib to the end of the lobes; petioles usually about ¼′ in length, slightly glandular above the middle, and covered when they first appear with short pale deciduous hairs; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots deeply divided into broad acute lateral lobes, 2′—3′ long, and 1½′ wide. Flowers opening in May and June, cup-shaped, about ½′ in diameter, on slender elongated pedicels, in broad loose glabrous corymbs; calyx-tube narrowly obconic, the lobes narrow acuminate, entire or irregularly glandular-serrate, pubescent below the middle on the inner surface; stamens 10; anthers small, rose color; styles 2 or 3, surrounded at base by a narrow ring of pale tomentum. Fruit ripening early in October, on slender elongated pedicels, in drooping many-fruited clusters, short-oblong or obovoid, rounded at the ends, slightly depressed at the insertion of the stalk, bright scarlet, marked by many small dark dots, ½′—¾′ long; calyx-lobes enlarged, erect, incurved and persistent; flesh thick, nearly white, firm and dry; nutlets 2 or 3, about ¼′ long.
A tree, 20°—25° high, with a trunk occasionally 1° in diameter, stout spreading branches forming a broad flat-topped symmetrical head, and slender orange-brown branchlets armed with straight or slightly curved thin dull chestnut-brown spines 2′—2½′ long.
Distribution. Open woods, the moist borders of streams and depressions in the prairie, and on hillsides in clay soil, Short and Peoria Counties, Illinois.
4. [Cratægus fecunda] Sarg.
Leaves oblong-obovate to oval, or broad-ovate, acute or rarely rounded and short-pointed at apex, gradually or abruptly narrowed at base, and coarsely and usually doubly serrate except toward the base, when they unfold dark green, lustrous and roughened above by short pale appressed caducous hairs and pale yellow-green and villose on the midrib and primary veins below, about half grown when the flowers open early in May and at maturity thin and firm in texture, dark green and lustrous on the upper surface, pale yellow-green on the lower surface, 2′—2½′ long, and 1½′—2′ wide, with a stout midrib and remote primary veins after midsummer often bright red below; turning late in the autumn to brilliant shades of orange or scarlet or deep rich bronze color; petioles often glandular, at first coated with pale hairs, soon glabrous, dull red at maturity, ½′—¾′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots often slightly lobed with short broad acute lobes, convex by the hanging down of the margins, 3′—4′ long, and 2′—3′ wide. Flowers ¾′ in diameter, on slender pedicels, in wide many-flowered slightly villose corymbs, with large glandular bracts and bractlets; calyx-tube narrowly obconic, more or less villose, the lobes elongated, acute, coarsely serrate with stipitate dark red glands, villose on the inner surface; stamens usually 10, occasionally 12—15; anthers small, dark rose color; styles 2 or 3. Fruit on slender pedicels often ½′ long, in broad many-fruited drooping clusters, short-oblong to subglobose, full and rounded at the ends, covered until nearly fully grown with long soft pale hairs, and at maturity orange-red marked by many small dark dots, ⅞′—1′ long; calyx-lobes linear-lanceolate, erect and incurved, coarsely glandular-serrate above the middle, dark red on the upper side toward the base; flesh very thick, firm and hard, pale green; nutlets 2 or 3, ⅓′ long.
A tree, 20°—25° high, with a trunk 10′—12′ in diameter, covered with dark brown scaly bark, stout wide-spreading branches forming a broad symmetrical round-topped rather open head, and stout branchlets covered at first with soft matted pale hairs, soon glabrous, light orange-green, becoming ashy gray in their second season, and armed with numerous very slender straight or slightly curved chestnut-brown shining spines 2′—2½′ long.
Distribution. Rich woodlands near Allenton, St. Louis County, Missouri, and on the bottom-lands of the Mississippi River, St. Claire County, Illinois.