120 safford: annona diversifolia 



products of New Spain. A figure of it was published in the first 

 edition of his works, under the name ylla?natzapotli, 2 and in a 

 subsequent edition it was said to be identical with the guand- 

 bano (Annona muricata L.), 3 tho the original figure does not 

 show the fruit to be muricate like the latter. 



Nearly all writers on Mexican fruits have mentioned the ilama, 

 or illamatzapotl, but there is a wide diversity of opinion among 

 them as to its botanical identity. Altamirano and Ramirez 

 thought it to be Annona excelsa of Humboldt, Bonpland and 

 Kunth; 4 Dr. Urbina identified it with Annona muricata of Lin- 

 naeus; 5 and Professor Alcocer calls it Annona reticulata Linn. 6 

 In a monograph on the edible Annonaceae of Mexico, Professor 

 Felix Foex, citing Ramirez as authority, refers the ilama of Colima 

 and Guerrero to Annona excelsa H. B. K., without describing its 

 flowers or fruit, and referring to its leaves as u acumina&as" a 

 description which applies to Annona excelsa but not to the ilama 

 of Colima and Guerrero. 7 



At the request of the writer much valuable information relat- 

 ing to economic Annonaceae has been obtained by Mr. David 

 Fairchild, Agricultural Explorer in charge of Foreign Seed and 

 Plant Introduction, chiefly from our consular representatives in 

 Mexico and Central America, thru the courtesy of the State 

 Department. 



In reply to inquiries regarding the fruit known as ilama growing 

 in the vicinity of Acapulco, Mr. Marion Letcher, American con- 



2 Recchi, Nardo Antonio: Nova Plantarum, Animalium et Mineralium Mexi- 

 canorum Historia a Francisco Hernandez Medico. . . . compilata. p. 444. 

 Rome. 1651. 



3 "Illamatzapotl, quam Haitini Guanabanum vocant" — Francisco Hernandez. 

 Opera, 1 : 178. Madrid. 1790. 



"Altamirano, Fernando and Ramirez, Jose: "Lista de nombres vulgares y 

 botanicos de drboles y arbustos propios para repoblar los bosques de la Reptiblica." 

 p. 3. 1894. 



6 Urbina, Manuel : "Los zapotes de Hernandez." Anales del Mus<§o Nacional, 

 7: 212. 1902. 



6 Alcocer, Gabriel V. : " Cata4ogo de los frutos comestibles mexicanos." Anales 

 del Museo Nacional, segunda epoca, 2: 419. 1905. 



7 Foex, Feliz: "Algunas Anonaceas frutales de Mexico." Estacion Agr. 

 Centr. Bob, No. 9: 25. 1908. 



