50 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



28772 to 28779— Continued. 



28777. (Undetermined.) 



"(H. No. 605.) A beautiful evergreen lumber tree; name unknown to me." 



28778. Melica violacea Cav. 



"(H. No. 606.) A wild grass from the south of Chile. Is eaten by animals." 

 Distribution. — The vicinity of Talcahuano on the coast of central Chile. 



28779. Sanguisorba minor Scop. 



"(H. No. 607.) A wild grass from the south of Chile. Is eaten by animals. '" 

 See No. 25040 for previous introduction. 



28780. DioscoREA sp. 



From Paraguay. Presented by Mr. C. F. Mead, Piropo. Received September 

 17, 1910. 



' ' This will stand the same amount of frost as tomato \'ines. The tubers above ground 

 are very similar to potatoes, but the color is dark, from yellow to red. There are also 

 white tubers below the ground, the same as regular potatoes, but these are very small. 

 It may be possible by selection or crossing to induce the plant to bear marketable 

 potatoes, both below and above ground. It is not as heavy a cropper as the regular 

 potato, and the necessity for a trellis upon which it can climb makes its economic 

 value doubtful. It should be planted in the same manner as the potato. Will prob- 

 ably thrive in regions favored by sugar cane and oranges. " (Mead.) 



28781. Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Skeels. Muli bamboo. 



{Bambusa baccifera Roxb., PI. Corom., vol. 3, p. 37, pi. 243, 1819.) 

 {Melocanna bambusoides Trin., in Spreng., Neue Entdeckungen im 

 Ganzen Umfang der Pflanzenkuude, vol. 2, p. 43, 1821.) 

 The genus Melocanna was established by Trinius in 1821 (Spreng., Neue Entdeck- 

 ungen im Ganzen Umfang der Pflanzenkuude, vol. 2, p. 43), based on the single 

 species Bambusa baccifera Roxburgh. Unfortunately the original specific name was 

 changed and in consequence the species has since been known as Melocanna bam- 

 busoides Trin. The earlier specific name of Roxburgh is here restored. 



The species was described by Roxburgh from the Chittagong Mountains in the 

 southwestern part of Upper Burma, India, where it was called "Payu-tuUu, " and it is 

 now known to occur on the Khasi and Garrow Hills in Assam, and in Arakan and 

 Tenasserim, in India. 



From Sibpur, Calcutta, India. Presented by Maj. A. T. Gage, superintendent, 

 Royal Botanic Gardens. Received September 19, 1910. 



See No. 21347 for description. 



28782. Secale cereale Tj. Rye. 



From Schlanstedt, Saxony, Germany. Purchased from Mr. W. Rimpau. Re- 

 ceived September 19, 1910. 



''Old-breeding.'' 



28783. Argaxia spinosa (L.) Skeels. Argan. 



{Sideroxylon spinosum L., Sp. PI., vol. 1, p. 193, 1753.) 

 (Argania sideroxylum Roem. and Schult., Syst., vol. 4, p. 502, 1819.) 

 The genus Argania was established by Roemer and Schultes in 1819 (Linn. Systema 

 Vegetabilium Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, vol. 4, p. 502) and con- 

 tained the single species Sideroxylon spinosum L., but in transferring the species to 

 223 



