Distribution. Rich bottom-lands of the streams of Shannon County, southern Missouri.
85. [Cratægus lanuginosa] Sarg.
Leaves ovate to suborbicular, acute or rounded and short-pointed at apex, broadly cuneate or rounded at the entire base, coarsely and sharply doubly serrate above with glandular teeth, and often irregularly divided above the middle into short broad acute lateral lobes, less than half grown when the flowers open during the last week of April and then dark green and villose above and covered below with a thick coat of hoary tomentum, and at maturity subcoriaceous, dark blue-green, lustrous and scabrate on the upper surface, yellow-green and tomentose on the lower surface, 1½′—2′ long, and 1′—1½′ wide, with a thick midrib, and 3—5 pairs of stout primary veins extending obliquely to the point of the lobes; petioles stout, tomentose, ½′—¾′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots often broad-ovate, very coarsely glandular-serrate, rounded or truncate at base, and frequently 3′ long and wide. Flowers ¾′ in diameter, on short stout pedicels covered with long matted pale hairs, in compact many-flowered hoary-tomentose corymbs, with large glandular-serrate conspicuous bracts and bractlets persistent until the flowers open; calyx-tube broadly obconic, hairy, the lobes short, broad, acute, glandular with minute stipitate glands, densely villose on the outer surface and slightly villose on the inner surface; stamens 20; anthers rose color; styles 5, surrounded at base by large tufts of snow-white hairs. Fruit ripening at the end of October, on short tomentose erect pedicels, in few-fruited clusters, subglobose to short-oblong, rounded and slightly hairy at the ends, ½′ in diameter; calyx enlarged, with villose coarsely serrate usually erect spreading or incurved persistent lobes bright red on the upper side near the base; flesh thin, orange color, dry and mealy; nutlets 5, thin, rounded and very irregularly ridged on the back, about ¼′ long.
A tree, sometimes 25° high, with a stout trunk covered with pale bark, spreading and erect branches, and stout zigzag branchlets light green and villose early in the season, dull red-brown and sparingly villose or pubescent at the end of their first year, becoming dark or light gray-brown, and armed with many long straight purple shining ultimately ashy gray spines 1¼′—3½′ in length.
Distribution. Southwestern Missouri; common near Webb City, Jasper County; well distinguished by the distinctly blue color of the small leaves, the dark crimson hard fruits and by the remarkable development of the spines unusual in the species of this group.
86. [Cratægus arnoldiana] Sarg.
Leaves broad-ovate or rarely oval, acute, regularly divided above the middle into numerous short acute lobes, and coarsely doubly serrate with straight glandular teeth except at the rounded truncate or occasionally cuneate base, coated with dense matted pale hairs when they unfold, about half grown when the flowers open at the end of May or early in June and then roughened above by stout stiff hairs and soft-pubescent below, and at maturity thin, smooth, very dark green and lustrous above, paler below, and slightly villose on the under side of the slender midrib, and of the thin prominent primary veins extending to the point of the lobes, 2′—3′ long and wide; petioles slender, densely villose early in the season, becoming puberulous, ¾′—1½′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots acute or acuminate, round or obtusely cuneate at base, more deeply lobed, often 3′—4′ long and 3′ wide. Flowers about ¾′ in diameter, on slender pedicels, in broad many-flowered tomentose corymbs; calyx-tube broadly obconic, densely tomentose, the lobes narrow, elongated, acuminate, glandular-serrate, villose on both surfaces; stamens 10; anthers, large, pale yellow; styles 3—5, usually 3 or 4, surrounded at base by a broad ring of thick hoary tomentum. Fruit ripening about the middle of August and mostly falling before the first of September, on stout pedicels, in erect spreading or rarely drooping few-fruited villose clusters, subglobose but rather longer than broad, bright crimson marked by many large pale dots, villose, particularly toward the ends, with long scattered white hairs, ¾′ long; calyx little enlarged, with elongated coarsely glandular-serrate spreading lobes often deciduous before the fruit ripens; flesh thick, bright yellow, subacid; nutlets 3 or 4, light-colored, prominently ridged on the back with a high rounded ridge, about ¼′ long.
A tree, 15°—20° high, with a short trunk 10′—12′ in diameter, stout ascending branches forming a broad open irregular head, and slender conspicuously zigzag branchlets clothed early in the season with long matted pale hairs, becoming dark orange-brown and very lustrous before midsummer, glabrous or puberulous during their first winter, bright orange-brown or gray-brown during their second year, and armed with many stout straight or slightly curved bright chestnut-brown shining spines 2½′—3′ long.