APRIL 1 TO MAY 31, 1920. 71 



50466 to 50517— Continued. 



50468. AsTROCARYUM JAiAKi .Mart. Phopnicarea\ Palm. 

 'Seed of a palm with larjje nuts.'' 



A graceful palm of medium height, with pinnate spiny leaves. Native to 

 tropical America. 



50469. Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers. (aryocaracese. 



'Seeds of the piquia tree, which furnishes a hard wood especially valuable 

 J for cart work. The pulp of the fruit is edible when the whole fruit has been 

 cooked in salted water." 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. ^1204. 



50470. (^assia sj). Caesalpiniacea?. 

 'Plants." 



60471. (HuvsoruYi.LtjM caimtd L. Sapotacese. Caimito. 



■ ' Plants of the caimito. ' ' 



.„f , A tree 8 to 10 meters high, native to tropical America, highly esteemed there 

 for its rose-fleshed fruit. The large, entire, elliptic leaves are glabrous above 

 and golden tomentose lieueath. The small white flowers are followed l>y round 

 pale reddish yellow friuts the size of a large apple. It is a rival of the sapodilla 

 (AchroK snpnfn). which is often considered the best of tropical fruits. (Adapted 

 from L^ Illustration Horticole. vol. .ii. p. 127 .) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 46150. 



50472. rHRVsoPHYLLUM sp. Sapotacesp. 

 "Small seedlings from the Purus River." 



50473. Chrysophyllum sp. Sapotacese. 

 'Seed from the Purus River." 



50474. Cissus .sp. Vitace*. 



'■Roots of a Cissus which I l>rouglit fi-um the Purus River some years ago. 

 The vine grows wild there in the forests. Except for the somewhat more 

 rigid flesh, the fruits have more or less the taste of an Isabella wine grape." 



50475. CouHouPiTA GUIANEX8IS Aubl. Myrtacese. 



Plants of the cannon-ball tree, a native of iiritish Guiana, and known there 

 to the half-breed Spaniards as Tapnru dn Sucf; the Caribs call it Colni monnh 

 (probably a corruption of the Spanish ( 'nco de inouos. that is. 'monkey coconut "' ) . 

 The tree is plentiful in the upper Cuyuni River region and grows to a verj' con- 

 siderable size. The trunks are straight and clear of leaf branches nearly to the 

 top, but from about 10 feet from the ground upward they bear many of the 

 peculiar flower and fruit branches which are Aeiy persistent. A ^■ery charac- 

 teristic feature of the cannon-ball tree is the uniform change of foliage three 

 times a year. There is no variation of this change due to age. situation, or 

 weather. The gradual shedding of the foliage takes three or four Aveeks, and 

 at last CA ery leaf has dropped and the trees stand bare; in a few hours, rarely 

 more than a day, the new foliage bursts forth, and in a day or two, as if by 

 magic, the trees are vested again in full dress. The flowering branches are 

 2 to o feet long, pendent and interlaced, ])ei"sistent like the foliage branches. 

 (Adapted from The Journnl nf the Board of Agriculture nf Britiah Guiatid, vol. 

 12, V- 40.) 



50476. DuACONTiuM .«p. Aracea\ 



"Plants of an interftsting aroid which grows wild in the open saAannas at 

 Marajo Island. No use is made of it. but I once tasted the roots cooked and 

 roasted like potatoes and found them not disagreeable. Perhaps it may be of 

 use in the future." 



