50 SEEDS A5^D PLANTS IMPORTED. 



44253 to 44266— Continued. 



44263. "Rainy season peach. Ripens in the latter part of May (the 

 Chinese rainy season ) . Round and pointed ; slightly red at the 

 point; flavor sweet and good." (Native peach groxcer.) 



44264. "July white peach. Ripens in the middle of July. Round 

 and pointed ; skin soft and thin. Color white with greenish tinge. 

 Flavor delicious." {Native peach groicer.) 



44265. Mixed seed of the foregoing twelve varieties (Nos. 44253 to 

 44264.) 



44266. Amygdaltjs peesica platycaepa (Decaisne) Ricker. 

 (Prunus persica platycarpa Bailey.) 



" Flat peach. Ripens about the middle of August. Round and flat ; 

 color greenish white. Fuzz fine and thick." (Xative peach groicer.) 



44267 and 44268. 



From El Coyolar, Costa Rica. Presented by Mr. Carlos Werckle. Received 

 March 7, 1917. 



44267. CoccoLOBis sp. Polygonacese. 



A plant allied to the sea grape, or jarra, of the West Indies. 



44268. GuiLiELMA UTiLis Oerst. Phoenicacere. Pejibaya palm, 



(Bactris utilis Benth. and Hook.) 



" This palm, commonly called pejihaya, grows in the hot humid sections 

 of Costa Rica, more abundantly on the Atlantic slope. The Indians 

 have cultivated it since remote times, and it is not known in the wild 

 state. The trunk reaches a height of 8 meters and is covered with 

 sharp thin spines disposed in circular zones. The leaves are pinnate, 

 dark green in color. The flowers are yellow, very much sought after by 

 insects. They form short racemes protected by a bristled spathe. The 

 fruits reach the size of a small peach and in the larger number of 

 varieties are red, the other sort being yellow. The seed is inclosed in a 

 sweet farinaceous pulp that is cooked and eaten. It has a flavor much 

 like that of the chestnut and is a favorite food of the town people. 

 The wood is very hard and is used by the Indians for walking sticks, 

 arrow points, bows, pikes, and for all purposes where strength and 

 durability are required. The name pejibaya is probably South Ameri- 

 can with the variations pejiballe, pijibay, pixbae, pixbay." (C. B. Doyle.) 



44269 to 44272. 



From Curacao, Dutch West Indies. Seeds collected by Mr. H. M. Curran. 

 Received March 16, 1917. 



44269. Cephaloceeeus lanuginosus (L.) Britt. and Rose. Cactaceae. 



Cactus. 

 " Edible fruit. March 1, 1917." {Curran.) 



44270. OoocoLOBis diveesifolia Jacq. Polygonacese. 



" Kamalia. Edible fruit. March 6, 1917." {Curran.) 



A West Indian tree 2 to 10 meters in height, with ovate leaves 7 to 

 14 cm. long, spicate inflorescences of green flowers, and ovoid, brown 

 fruits about 1 cm. long containing round, brownish green seeds. 

 (Adapted from Engler, Botanische Jahrbiicher, vol. 13, p. 149, as 

 Coccoloba barbadensis.) 



