APRIL 1 TO JUNE 30, 1918. 35 



111 order to get at the pnli) inside it requires a circular cut with a siiarp liiiife 

 to lift the top half off lilve a cap, expusiii-i; tlu' wiute se^'iuents, live, six, or 

 seven in number, lying loose in the cup. Tlie cut surface of the rind is of 

 ii most delicate pink color and is studded with small yellow points formed by 

 the drops of exuding juice. As you lift out of this cup, one by one. the delicate 

 segments, wliicli are tlie size and shape of those nf a mandarin <irange. the light 

 pink sides of tlie cup and tlie veins of white and yellow embedded in it are 

 visible. The separate segments are between snow white and ivory in color 

 and are covered with a delicate network of fil)ers, and the side of each segment 

 ^^■llere it presses against its neighbor is translucent and slightly tinged with 

 pale green. As one iioises the dainty bit of snowy fruit on his fork and looks 

 at the empty pink cup from which it has lieeii taken, he iiardly knows wliether 

 the delicate tlavor or the beiiutiful coloring of the fruit pleases hiui the more, 

 and he invarialdy stops to admire the rapidly deepening color of the cut rind 

 as it changes on exposure to the air from light pink to deep bi-own. The texture 

 of the mangosteen ]ml]> much resembles that of a well-riitened plum, only it is 

 so delicate that it melts in your mouth like n bit of ice cream. The flavor is 

 fjuite indescribably delicious and resembles nothing you know of; and yet it 

 leminds you. with a long aftertaste, of all sorts of creams and ices. Then- 

 is nothing to mar the perfection of this fruit, unless it be that tlie Juire from 

 the rind forms an indelible stain on a wliite napkin. Even the seeds are partly 

 or wholly lacking, and when present they are so thin and small that they are 

 really no trouble to get rid of. Where cheap and abundant, as in Java, one 

 eats these fruits by the half iieck and is never tired of them; they produce no 

 feeling of satiety, such as tlie banana and the mango do. for there is little sub- 

 stance to the delicate pulp." {David FairchiUl.) 



46205. Phyllostachys sp. Poacete. Bamboo. 



From Indio, Calif. Plants presented by Mr. Bruce Drummond, Govern- 

 ment Date Garden. Received May 3, 1918. 



"A package of the rhizomes from the giant bamboo that we have here at the 

 garden. This is the bamboo growing on Mr. W. S. Tevis's place at Bakerstield, 

 Calif. Plants were obtained by Mr. Rixford and sent to us in 1913. It is doing 

 tine, and is the only bamboo we have here that is making a rapid spread. 



" 1 have great hopes of the future use for this bamboo, even though it does 

 not get higher than 20 or 2.5 feet. I think that we can utilize the canes in 

 holding up the clusters of dates, which will be very necessary as our palms 

 get older. It makes its growth in the early part of April." ( DruiiiDiond.) 



46206. Cymbopetalum pendxltflorum (Dunal.) Baill. Annona- 



cese. Sacred earflower. 



From Cohan, Guatemala. Purchased from Mr. U. S. Anderson. Received 

 May 3, 1918. 

 "A shrub or small tree with distichous, subsessile, oblanceolate leaves, soli- 

 tary flowers borne on long slender peduncles issuing from the internodes of 

 the smaller branches; sepals broadly ovate or suborbicular, cuspidate, retlexe<l 

 at length; outer petals similar to the sepals but much larger; inner petals 

 thick and fleshy, their margin involute, causing them to resemble a human ear. 

 The pungeiitly aromatic flowers when fresh are greenish yellow, with the inner 

 surface of the inner petals inclining to orange color, at length turning brownish 

 purple or maroon, breaking with a bright orange-colored fracture. The tree 

 is planted for the sake of its fragrant flowers, the petals of which are dried 

 and are used medicinally as well as for imparting a spicy flavor to food. They 



