739 



(5) The wliitc-friiited types appear stronger in the power to transmit form and pro- 

 iliictiveuess. 



(6) Fewer seeds are produced by flowers artificially pollinated than by those left to 

 mature, even though an excess of pollen is used. 



(7) It is probable that the egg-plant may be included among those plants which are 

 capable of producing fruit without the aid of pollen. 



Botany of the egg-plant, L. H. Bailey, M. S. (pp. 21-26, illus- 

 trated). — All account of the history of the egg-plant, with brief descrip- 

 tions of the varieties. The cultivated species Solanum melongena, 

 Linn., is divided into three varieties : 



(1) Var. esculenium, Necs (Trans. Linn. Soc. XVII, 50, 49). (S. esculentum and S. 

 ovigerum, Dunal.) Plant stout and erect, mostly tall ; leaves and branches more or less 

 densely scurfy; leaves uiostly conspicuou.slj' angled or lobed, thick ; flowers large and 

 thick on stout peduncles ; fruit various, globular or oblong, white or purple. * » * 



There is a very low and dwarf form with rounded and barely undulate leaves and 

 much smaller flowers, but I am unable to find good botanical characters to separate it 

 from the larger forms. 



(2)YajV. acrpentinum. (S. scrjyentinum, 'Deaf.'Duna}, DC. Prodr. XIII. 2,358.) This 

 diff"ers from the var. esculentum chiefly in the greatly elongated fruit, which is curled 

 at the end, and perhaps it is not worth separation. It is the most singular egg-plant 

 which we have grown. 



(3) Var. depressum. Plant low, weak and difluse, dark colored, nearly smooth, 

 always spineless ; leaves small and comparatively thin, more entire, often scarcely 

 angled; flowers small, mostly long-peduncled ; fruit purple, pyriform. I am not 

 aware that botanists have ever noticed this type of egg-plant, although I am inclined 

 to think that Rumphius meant to i^ortray it in his figure 85 (Rumph. Amb. 5, t. 85). 

 Dunal (DC. Prodr., 1. c, 355) refers to Rumphius' description but thinks his figure 

 incorrect. I think that this is a distinct species. 



Solanum integrifolium, Poir. This species is sold as the Chinese Scarlet and Orna- 

 mental egg-plant, and it is probably the one which has been lately distributed as a 

 great novelty under the name of Tomato egg-plant. It goes under the name of Sola- 

 num coccineum. It is undoubtedly the SolanuJit texanum of Dunal (1. c, 359), which, 

 as Asa Gray (Synop. Fl. II, 227) determines, is probably not Texan nor even Ameri- 

 can. It is undoubtedly identical with Poiret's S. integrifolium, as, in fact, Dunal 

 himself suggested. I once thought that the common name, Chinese egg-plant, might 

 throw some light upon the nativity of this species, but it appears to have been first 

 known as the Ethiopian apple {Mala wthiojjiea, Dodoens, 1616). Its nativity appears 

 to be wholly unknown. Duual says that S. integrifolium is a native of Mauritius, but 

 Baker, in his Flora of Mauritius, does not mention it. It is probably African. At 

 any rate it appears to be proper to recall the name under which it was long known 

 in early times, and I have therefore called it the Ethiopian solanum or egg-plant. 

 This species was figured by Dalechamp (Hist. Gen., 633) in 1587 as Capsicum rotundum. 

 Morison (Plant. Ox., sect. 13, t. 2) figured it in 1715 and Jacquin (Hort. Vind., t. 12) 

 gives an excellent colured plate of it. 



The Ethiopian egg-plant is a coarse plant 3 feet high with large-lobed leaves 

 and the stems, petioles, and midribs armed with strong and very sharp spines a half 

 inch long. The small white flowers are usually borne in clusters of two to six. The 

 fruit is small, rarely much exceeding 2 inches in diameter, bright scarlet or yellow, 

 and conspicuously lobed after the manner of the old Early Red tomato. We have 

 grown two types of this i)lant, one of strong upright growth with purple stems, peti- 

 oles, and midribs; the other of spreading habit and lighter color. Thesijccies isonly 

 curious and oruameutal, the fruits not beiug eateu. 



