_Prunus mira_ is a new peach discovered in China by Mr. E. H. Wilson
of the Arnold Arboretum. The foregoing technical description is a
translation from the original description by Koehne. Mr. Wilson
describes for _The Peaches of New York_ the outstanding botanical and
horticultural characters of _Prunus mira_ as follows:
"_Prunus mira_ is a small bushy tree, growing about 6m. tall, with a
trunk about 1m. in girth and a crown some 8m. through. The branches
are relatively slender and the branchlets twiggy, and these, together
with the narrow, lance-shaped, long-pointed leaves, give the plant
a very distinct appearance. The fruit is roundish oval, about 4.5
cm. high and 3.5-4 cm. broad, downy on the outside, with white flesh
and a free stone. The flavor is the same as that of fruits from the
semi-wild plants of the Common Peach (_P. Persica_). The stone is 2 to
2.2 cm. high and 1.3-1.4 cm. broad, and in shape is flattened ovoid and
pointed. The flowers are unknown to me.
This plant grows wild on rather barren mountain slopes at about
3000m. altitude north of the town of Tachienlu on the China-Thibetan
borderland, where it was first detected by me on July 9, 1908, and from
whence I introduced it by means of seeds in the autumn of 1910. I saw
only a few trees, but have reason to believe that it is fairly common,
and also that it is thereabouts cultivated for its fruit. In the
Arnold Arboretum this species has proved no more hardy than the Common
Peach, though from the altitude at which it grows naturally it ought
to be the hardier plant. Our largest specimen is 2.5m. high and crown
3m. through. It starts into growth and leafs out much later than the
Common Peach, and is therefore much less liable to be affected by late
frosts. This is the one advantage so far evident in our experience with
this new Peach under cultivation. Undoubtedly it possesses important
horticultural possibilities, and especially should it be valuable
to the hybridist on account of its small and smooth stone. Indeed,
it requires no imagination to realize the advantage to be gained by
supplanting in our present day race of garden peaches for the large
and deeply furrowed stone one that is quite smooth and small."
_Prunus mira_ is now under cultivation at the Arnold Arboretum near
Boston, in the parks at Rochester, New York, on the grounds of this
Station and at Brookville, Florida, in charge of the United States
Department of Agriculture. No doubt within a few years we shall have
positive evidence of its horticultural value.
PUBESCENT-FRUITED SPECIES OF PRUNUS FROM THE UNITED STATES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account