20 SEEDS AXD PLAXTS IMPORTED. 



43425 to 43440— Continued. 



come from Antigua. It appears to belong to the Guatemalan race, but 

 may possibly be a cross between this and some other race. It is not to be 

 recommended as a fruit, but is of interest in connection with the experi- 

 ments now being carried on to obtain the best stocks for the commercial 

 varieties of avocado. The fruit is unusually small for this region, being 

 no more than 2i inches in length and frequently not more than 2 inches. 

 It is obovate or broadly pyriform in outline. The surface practically 

 smooth and shining purplish maroon in color. The skin is quite thin, but 

 thicker than is common in the Me^sican race. The flesh is pale green, 

 very rich in flavor, but lacking in quantity, due to the very large size 

 (comparatively) of the seed, which has the characteristic closely adher- 

 ing seed coat of the Guatemalan race." 



43432. HiTFELANDiA ANAY Blake. Lauracese. Anay. 



" No. 34a. Mazatenango, Guatemala, September 23, 1916.) Seeds of 

 an interesting species of Persea which occurs in this region as a large 

 forest tree and is called anay by the natives. It so closely resembles an 

 avocado of the Mexican race in the external appearance of the fruit as 

 to lead one to suspect at first that it must be a form of Persea americana, 

 but on a closer examination of the tree and fruit one finds numerous 

 characters which indicate that it must be entirely distinct from Persea. 



" In clearing the forest for planting cofEee, a few large trees are left 

 to provide shade for the coffee plants, and it was due to this fact that we 

 found the anay. Two large trees are standing close to the entrance of the 

 finca ' El Compromiso,' about one-half mile from Mazatenango. Others 

 are said to occur in the forest and are known to the natives, who eat the 

 fruits in the same way as avocados and consider them a variety of 

 avocado, ' tijw de aguacate,' as they say. 



"The anay is a tall, rather slender tree, reaching a great height in 

 the forest. The two which were seen were between 60 and 70 feet in 

 height. The bark is nearly smooth and of a rich red-brown color, grayish 

 in places. The young branchlets are light brown, finely pubescent. The 

 leaf blades are broadly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate in outline, 8 to 13 

 inches long, 3 to 6 inches broad, acute to shortly acuminate at the apex, 

 rounded to broadly acute at the base, rigidly chartaceous, bright green 

 and glabrous above (with the exception of the costa and primary trans- 

 verse veins, which are sparsely hairy), the lower surface being slightly 

 lighter in color and glabrate. The young leaves are softly pubescent 

 below and sparsely hairy above. Petiole 1^ to 2i inches long, terete, 

 slender, but swollen just below the point of union with the lamina. The 

 foliage when crushed has no aromatic odor, like that of the Mexican 

 race. The fruits ripen in August and September. In form they are 

 slender pyriform, sometimes curved and sometimes pointed at the apex. 

 Often the neck is long and sharply defined. The body of the fruit is 

 slightly compressed on two sides. The length varies from 4 to 6 inches. 

 The surface is smooth, glossy, and purplish black. The epicarp is ex- 

 ceedingly thin and membranous and adheres closely to the firm, oily 

 flesh, which is divided into two zones of color, the outer being pale green 

 and the inner, which is of the same thickness as the outer, a greenish 

 cream color. The two zones are more sharply defined than they ordi- 

 narily are in the cultivated avocados. The flavor of the flesh is rich 



