14 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



hardiest of these, however, are finding their way into the gar- 

 dens of the South and West and are thus becoming more 

 widely appreciated. This is the case with the fruit shown in 

 our illustration which though grown in California is still so 

 rare as to have no common name. Botanist call it Feijoa 

 Sellozviana but from its looks, taste, and habitat, it might 

 well be known as the Argentine guava. 



Feijoa Sellowiana belongs to the Myrtaceae or Myrtle 

 Family, a group of some thirteen hundred species found most- 

 ly south of the equator and especialy common in- South Amer- 

 ica and the East Indies. There are no species native to North 

 America but the pomegranate, commonly cultivated in south- 

 ern gardens, is much like the Myrtaceae in appearance. 

 Among species of this group well known by name at least are 

 allspice, cloves, Surinam cherry, rose apple, Jambolan plum, 

 bottle-brush, eucalyptus and Brazil-nut. 



The name of the family is derived from the classic myr- 

 tle of Europe. This latter species is possibly more famous 

 for yielding the bay-leaves commonly used in cookery. As 

 a matter of fact the leaves of most of the group are dotted 

 with tiny glands containing a fragrant oil and the fruits usu- 

 ally have a pleasant odor as illustrated in the allspice. This is 

 true of Feijoa fruits whose odor suggests that of the Cape 

 jessamine {Gardenia jasniinoides.) 



The fruits themselves are two or three inches long, and 

 about half as thick, broadest in the middle and tapering to- 

 ward the ends. The end opposite the stem is crowned with 

 the remains of the four sepals. The fruit is green when ripe 

 and has a rather thick skin surrounding a pale reddish, some- 

 what watery, pulp that is sweet and edible, with a flavor that 

 has been likened by different people to that of pineapples 

 guavas, bananas and strawberries. To the writer it suggests 



