| | |&c. The genus is divided
| | |into six sections, viz.,
| | |Amygdalus, which includes
| | |Almonds and Peaches;
| | |Armeniaca, the Apricots;
| | |Prunus, which contains the
| | |true Plums and the
| | |Blackthorn; Cerasus, the
| | |various Cherries; Padus,
| | |the Bird Cherries; and
| | |Laurocerasus, under which
| | |is placed the Cherry
| | |Laurel, Portugal Laurel,
| | |&c. Although these genera
| | |may differ outwardly, yet
| | |they are botanically of the
| | |same character. The genus
| | |is widely spread,
| | |representatives being found
| | |in Europe and through Asia
| | |southward to Persia and
| | |Afghanistan, and eastward
| | |to China and Japan; it is
| | |also well represented in
| | |North America. With the
| | |exception of the section
| | |Laurocerasus, all the
| | |members of the genus are
| | |deciduous trees or shrubs
| | |of various sizes, and most
| | |of them are very beautiful,
| | |especially in spring. A
| | |fairly light well-drained
| | |soil is best.