38 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



47194 to 47197— Continued. 



duced on every branch. Tlie compound leaves are made up of oblong- 

 ovate leaflets, about 4 inches in length and 1^ inches wide. In habit of 

 growth the tree appears to be normally rather round topped and spread- 

 ing, but as it is frequently planted among numerous other trees it is 

 forced to grow tall and slender, branching only at a considerable height 

 above the ground. 



"According to J. D' Almeida Pereira, of Singapore, there are 8 or 10 

 varieties of the rambutan, the difference being in form and coloring. 

 The natives, however, do not distinguish between any of these varieties. 

 Among the varieties of the true rambutan the differences do not seem 

 to be very well marked or of great importance. 



" In appearance a cluster of rambutans, when highly colored, is ex- 

 ceptionally attractive. The best forms attain, when fully ripe, a rich 

 crimson color, while the poorer ones are greenish or yellowish, sometimes 

 a combination of these two and lacking any tinge of crimson. The in- 

 dividual fruits are slightly sm{\ller than a hen's egg, but more elongated 

 in form ; they are covered with soft spines about half an inch in length, 

 and are borne in clusters of rarely more than 10 or 12. The pericarp is 

 not thick or tough, and to eat the fruit the basal end is usually torn off, 

 exposing the aril. The flavor is mildly subacid and somewhat vinous. 

 An oblong flattened seed is inclosed by the aril. 



"A description of the rambutan, taking as a type one of the best forms, 

 is as follows : General form oblong elliptical ; weight averaging about 1 

 ounce; dimension, length If inches, breadth IJ inches; base rounded or 

 slightly tapering; stem slender, short; peduncle 8 to 10 inches long, 

 woody, medium stout, bearing 3 to 10 fruits; surface covered with 

 slender, soft fleshy spines under half an inch in length ; color when ripe, 

 . crimson or crimson maroon, yellowish when not fully ripe ; pericarp one- 

 sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch thick, firm, greenish, aril whitish, 

 transparent, about one-fourth of an inch thick, meaty, very juicy, flavor 

 subacid, vinous, pleasant; seeds one, large, oblong, compressed, pointed 

 at the apex, the aril adhering to it closely. For inferior varieties about 

 the only change to be made would be in the size and coloring of the 

 fruit." 



47196. Pamhoetan si kouto. 47197. Atjeh lebak boelaes. 



47198. Abies mariesii kawakamii Hayata. Pinaceae. Fir. 



From Formosa. Presented by the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass. 

 Received February 21, 1919. 



This differs from the type in having longer cylindrical cones and black 

 seeds. Abies mariesii is a tree 40 to 50 (occasionally 80) feet high, of compact, 

 pyramidal form ; the young shoots are very densely covered with red-brown 

 down which persists several years. The leaves, one-third to an inch long and 

 one-twelfth of an inch wide, are dark shining green and deeply grooved above, 

 glaucous beneath with two broad bands of stomata. The lower ranks spread 

 horizontally, while the upper shorter ones point forward and complet^y hide 

 the shoot. The egg-shaped cones, 3 to 4 inches long and about 2 inches wide, 

 are purple when young. It is one of the rarest of the silver firs. (Adapted 

 from Bean, Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, vol. 1, p. 123.) 



