118 safford: annona diversifolia 



the surface, there may be seen at several points imperfect out- 

 lines of what are, presumably, deformed leaf scars instead of 

 mere pseudo-fossils. The trunk, which was perhaps a foot in 

 diameter, may have belonged to Lepidodendron Veltheimii, or 

 possibly L. obovatum. 



Description of the fossils is deferred in the expectation that new 

 efforts will bring to light additional material in the protected 

 brecciated shale fragments. The specimens at present in hand, 

 tho few and very fragmentary, are such as to put beyond ques- 

 tion the Carboniferous age of the phyllite at Worcester, thus con- 

 firming the opinion of Professors Perry and Emerson. Judging 

 by the details of the few pieces collected, the writer suspects that 

 further discoveries will show the beds to be of Pennsylvania!!, 

 possibly Pottsville, age. 



BOTANY. — Annona diversifolia, a custard-apple of the Aztecs. 

 W. E. Safford, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



While engaged in the study of Annonaceae the writer found a 

 specimen of Annona, or custard-apple, in the U. S. National Her- 

 barium, remarkable on account of certain large, orbicular, leaf- 

 like bracts at the base of the flowering branches, from which appear 

 the peduncles, or flower stems, a peculiarity found in no other 

 Annona thus far known, except A. macroprophyllata Donnell 

 Smith. It proved to be an undescribed species, and a short de- 

 scription of it was published in Science,* under the name Anona 

 diversifolia. The type material included bark, leaves, flowers, 

 and immature fruit, (fig. 1) and the collector's field notes stated 

 that the fruit, locally known as ilama or izlama, was reported tc 

 be edible. No description of the mature fruit was given, how- 

 ever, and it remained to be proved whether or not it could be 

 identified with the celebrated illamatzapotl, or "zapote de las 

 viejas," of the ancient Mexicans, the' specific identity of which 

 had never been established. 



This fruit was first mentioned by Francisco Hernandez, the 

 "protomedico" of Philip II, who was sent in 1570 to study the 



1 Newser.,23:471. March 24, 1911. 



