4 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



classed this Orysa harthii (No, 45717) as one of the very best for' 

 age plants of West Africa, and it is as such that it is being tried here. 



One of the most spectacular introductions of recent years into the 

 Southwest is that of the athel, an African tamarisk {Tamarix 

 aphylla^ No. 45952), which is considered the best of the Egyptian 

 species both for timber and as a windbreak by Dr. Trabut, from 

 whom the jDlants originally came. Thej^ constitute one of the best of 

 the many gifts of Dr. Trabut to this countr3\ In the Coachella Val- 

 lej^ its handsome form is already transforming the landscapes and 

 adding great rows of beautifullj^ shaped trees to the desert. Its 

 rapid growth even exceeds that of the Eucalyptus, and the settlers 

 there are most enthusiastic about its value. To Prof. J. J. Thornber 

 belongs the credit for its introduction in this region, for the trees 

 now in the valley were introduced by him, although in 1899 Mr. 

 Walter T. Swingle secured and shipped in plants noted in our In- 

 ventory No. 7 under the name Tamarix articulata^ No. 3343. Un- 

 fortunately, these plants died en route, owing to the recall to the 

 port of departure of the ship on which they were placed and to a 

 consequent delay of three months in reaching this country. The 

 practical utilization of the plant is due to the prompt recognition 

 of its value by Mr. Bruce Dnmimond, of the Indio Date Garden. 



Whether it would be advisable to introduce the gall insect, which 

 Dr. Trabut calls to our attention and which produces on this tamarisk 

 large quantities of galls containing 45 per cent of tannin, is a ques- 

 tion requiring careful study. 



Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, the noted archaeologist of Mexico, whose love 

 for plants has led her to investigate the vegetables used by the Aztecs, 

 calls our attention to three forms of a remarkable new vegetable, a 

 species of Chenopodium named by Mr. SaJfford in her honor {Cheno- 

 f odium nuttalliae, Nos. 45721 to 45723). The large branching in- 

 florescences of this rapid-growing plant, gathered before the seeds 

 ripen, are cooked as a vegetable. According to Mrs. Nuttall, it 

 forms a delicious potherb of pecailiar delicacy. Since it grows rap- 

 idly and can be cultivated in our Southwest, it deserves special con- 

 sideration. 



The success of the roselle {Hibiscus sahdariffa) as a source of 

 brilliant jelly-making material and an excellent substitute for cran- 

 berry sauce makes Wester's two Philippine varieties of it of special 

 interest (Nos. 46800 and 45801). 



Although the mulberry has hardly any real rank in America as an 

 orchard fruit, to drop it out of our fence corners and yards and de- 

 prive our children of the delights of coloring their faces and their 

 clothes with its brilliant juice would be a pity. Morus acidosa (No. 

 45708) is a bushy mulberry from the Provinces of Hupeh and 

 Szechwan, which when I first saw it in the Arnold Arboretum was 



