KEY TO THE VARIETIES. 103 



INTKRMEniATE SOFT DATES. 



Ohoratc Inlcniirilidtc Soft Dates. 



f'niit 42f> to 4') mm. long:, square at base, rounded at apex, l>rifi:ht orange before 

 maturity. hrrf)iiiiii(f rrrii ilark (almost blach) broini purple irhen ripe; 

 tlosh .iliout .". nun. thick, very dark colored and very soft, fruit keepiui^c 

 its sliapc iiiiorly wiicii iMpc: seed 'Jo to 24 nun. ioiii;. two-liftlis to one-half 

 as wide, rounded at iidtli ends, tlie vontriil cliainiol r:ither wide, open; 

 f/iaiit eeUs extreiiieln variable in shape ami size, niostli/ shar/) atiijied and 

 even pointed, trianfiular or (/iiadranfnilar ir. outline, oranire rufous (IV, 

 1.3) in color; branches of the fruit clusters deej) oranjje. 



liciit Scnni (p. 87). 



Fruit maroon (IV, 2| or bail (I\'. ."i i irhcn ripr; i/iinit cells fairli/ uniform in 

 shape ami size, nol poinlcd or I ri<tn<iular. 



Fruit 'I'l to 'i^.'i mm. loan, taiicrini,' sli;,'litly at bntli ends. e\treinely soft, not 

 Keeping its sliape irhen preserred. bri^:ht i>ay (1\'. ."> ) wIumi ripe, skin 

 where loose saffron colored (VI, i) ; tlesb aI)out :} nun. thick, translucent, 

 lijiht colored: seed 24 to 2t> nun. lon^. about oiie-thir<l ;is wide, the ventral 

 .'•hannel oiien; f/ianl cells all roumled. mostly spherical Imt a few ellip- 

 tical, none more tlian twice as JMn,!:: as wiile. mostly niiicli smaller than 

 in Kent iSej^ny. oran^^e rufous (IV. KH) in color Dei/let llassen {\^. 92). 



Fruit not exceeding J/O )nni. long, nioderalelg soft, teeping its sliape fairlg irell 

 irhen preserved : giani cells man a of them angular. 



Fruit rerg dart,- colored { bet irecn prune purple (VIII. 1) and broirn) irhen 

 ripe. 80 to ."^S nun. Ions, senerally obovate or obovate oblong, square at 

 base, rounded at apex: skin where loose burnt und)er (HI, S) color; 

 flesh 2 to ;! nnn. thick, very soft and dark colored ; tiltrous lining of the 

 central cavity well develoiied : seed alimt two-thirds as long as tiie fruit, 

 ai)out two-lifths as wide as long, blunt at ]>ntli ends, mars in-own (111. lo) 

 in color, the ventral clianiiel ojien. the germ pore very indistinct: giant 

 cells ehiefig sptierical or sJiort elliptical but many quadrangular with 

 rounded angles, few 'if them more tlian one and one-half times as long 

 as aide, tawny (V. 1) in color; branches of the fruit clusters orange 

 (VI, .3) ' ^_Ammarg " (]). SS). 



Fruit tnnj (IV, 5) or maroon (IV, 2) n'hen ripe: giant cells all or nearly all 

 (NH/ular. mostlji not longer Ihan vide, almost nerer more than one and- 

 one-half times us Imig as wide. 



Fruit about JjO mm. long: seed areraginf/ .i-7 mm. long, about one-third as wide, 

 the rentral channel a-ide. open, tlie germ pore near the base; flesh about 

 .3 nnn. thick : giant cells most hi angular but mang spherical, the great 

 majority not longer than wide ( ^ to A as lai'ge as in Deglet Ilassen), 

 orange ochraceous (V, .S) in color; branches of the fruit clusters bright 

 orange Goondy (p. 88). 



Fruit ,?.> to 37.-5 mm. long; flesh about H mm. thick : seed arcraging 20 mm. long, 

 about two-fifths as wide, tlic rentral channel, narroir but open: giant cells 

 all more or less angular, (about twice as large as in Goondy), ochraceous 

 (V, 7) in color; branches of the fruit clusters orange Zckry (p, 81). 



Orate Intermediate Soft Dates. 



Firm irliitc central portion of the ftesli at least twice as thick as the soft, dark- 

 colored outer portion Kcnta.^ 



Firm }rhite central portion of the flesh not nearlg so thick as the soft, dark- 

 colored outer porti<>n. 



White fibrous lining of the central caritg little dereloped : fruit .3.5 to .50 mm. 

 long, narrowed from about the middle to the rounded apex and often 



"Description drawn up from material from Tempe, Ariz., garden, from a palm 

 originally from Ourlana, Algeria. 



^ This variety (as well as the Angoo, p. 97) Ijelongs evidently to the dry 

 date class, and is described on p. 97; but, on account of its smooth, very loose 

 skin (narrow transverse wrinkles few or none), it is likely to be sought in this 

 part of the key. 



92 



