28 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



46573. AzADiRACHTA ixDiCA Jiiss. Meliace*. . Neem tree. 

 {Melia azadirachta L.) 



From Sibpur, near Calcutta, India. Presented by Mr. G. T. Lane, curator of 

 tbe Royal Botanic Garden. Received September 14. 1918. 

 A large tree, .sometimes 50 feet tall, native to India. The pinnate leaves are 

 made uit of 9 to 15 ovate, serrate leaflets. The white, fragrant flowers hang in 

 graceful panicles and are followed by clusters of ovoid, dark-purple drupes the 

 size of an olive. The wood resembles mahogany and takes a beautiful polish. 

 It is used in making furniture, carts, .ships, agricultural implements, and Hindu 

 idols. The sap is u.sed in the spring in making a cooling drink. A gum. which 

 exudes from the bark, is used as a stimulant. Margosa oil, extracted from tlie 

 pulp of the fruits by boiling or by pressure, is an acrid, bitter oil used in medicine 

 and in dyeing. The seeds are employed in killing insects. (Adapted from 

 Brand is. Forest Flora of India, p. 67.) 



46574. Persea americana Mill. Laiiraceae. Avocado. 

 (P. gratissima Gaertn. f. ) 



From Coyacan. Mexico. Pre.sented l)y :Mrs. Zelia Nuttall. Received Sep- 

 tember 25, 1918. 



" When Mr. Popenoe was here lately he asked me what variety of aguacate 

 I thought the l)est I had ever tasted, here or in other countries. I told him that 

 I considered those of a certain kind grown on my own place, Casa Alvarado, the 

 finest in flavor and creamine.ss ; besides, the skin was so thin it could be peeled 

 off as readily as that of a ripe peach. I was able to let him try the flrst ripe 

 ones of tliis year's crop, and he was deliglited with them and asked me to send 

 him lots of seeds."' (Mrs. Xuttall.) 



46575. Dacrydium cupressinum Soland. Taxacese. Rimu. 



From Auckland. New Zealand. Pre.sented by ]\Ir. H. R. Wright. Received 

 September 24, 1918. 

 "Rimu seed. Prettiest of all our native trees: a real treasure." (Wright.) 



This pine is one of the most beautiful objects in the New Zealand bush. Its 

 pale-green drooping branches differ from those of any other forest tree. The 

 leaves are only small i)rickles running up a long stem, from which branch other 

 small stems whose united weight causes the main stem to hang like the branche.s 

 of tl^e weeping willow. The whole tree, when young, has the appearance of a 

 lycopodium. The fruit is tiny, but beautiful, the nut being blue-black and the 

 cup red. The timber is red and yellow and beautifully marked. It is used to 

 great advantage in dadoes, panels, and for ceilings. The Taranaki rimu is 

 especially straight in the grain and very resinous. It is nmch used for bridge 

 Ijuilding in that district. (Adapted from J.ainn auij lihichirrU. I'Ja)it.s of Xcir 

 Zealand, p. 7 J,.) 



46576 to 46586. 



From eastern Asia. Cuttings collected by Prof. F. C. Reimer. superintend- 

 ent. Southern Oregon Experiment Station, Talent, Oreg. Received April 

 16. 1918. Numbered September 31, 1918. Quoted notes l)y Prof. Reimer. 

 46576. Pyeus sp. Malacese. Pear. 



"(No. 51. Mi li. Obtained at Maoshan, near Malanyu, Chihli, China.) 

 This is a roundish mediunr-sized pear, about 2 inches in diameter. It 

 is yellow in color, and the calyx is deciduous. The flesh is firm and 



