VARIETIES OF DATE-PALM. 47 



Various Species of the Date- Palm Fruit cultivated in the 

 Oases of Fezzan. 



1. Tasfert — Long shaped, and longish, red, and of good 

 quality ; ripens late. 



2. Mouivee — Large, round, red, sweet, and good ; ripens 



late. 



3. Amreer — Small and round, black, reteb* (literally, moist), 

 or does not become dry so as to be preserved as an article 

 of food ; ripens soon. 



4. Talees — Very lona: shaped, red, very sweet ; ripens late. 



5. El-Kaeeb\ — Small and round, sweet and re/e^; ripens soon. 



6. El-Kokdee — Small and round, sweet; ripens late. 



7. Silbeer — Largish and round, sweet ; ripens late. 



8. Saloulou — Large and round, and sweetly delicious ; esteemed 

 the finest quality of all Fezzan dates ; ripens late. 



9. Taghaiat — Long and largish, red, very sweet ; ripens late. 



10. Fertdkou' — Long shaped and good size, red, very sweet; 

 ripens late. 



11. Sdloum — Long and largish, red, sweet, ripens soon ; partly 

 reteb. 



12. Taib-Belah {i. e. good dates) — Small and round, yellow, 

 and very sweet. 



13. El-Kouweeyaf — Long and smallish, red, reteb, and good ; 



ripens soon. 



14. Ndfoush—l^ounA and large, red, good quality, and one of 

 the species which ripen latest, if not the latest. 



15. Jinfukli — Large and round, red and good ; ripens late. 



16. Ijoureek — Small, thin, and filbert-shaped, yellow, exceed- 

 ing sweet ; ripens soon. 



17. Hdjdb — Large, round, red, and good ; ripens late. 



18. El-Khdthdr—Ijong, black, good quality, reteb, but hardens 

 a little, sweet ; ripens soon. 



19. El-Amzough — Large and oval, black, sweet, reteb, but 

 dries a little ; ripens late. 



20. El-Kdmdr — Largish and round, black, good, reteb ; ripens 

 soon. 



21. Aghleen — Small and round, red, sweet, or having " /7Joe" 

 and unripedates : that is, some of the dates never reach ma- 



* A great quantity of dates are reteb. Both in the suburbs of Tripoli and 

 in the Isle of Jerbah, nearly all the dates are eaten as soon as gathered, not 

 drying so as to serve for wholesome food, being " reteb." 



t There is a certain arbitrary use of the Arabic article prevalent in all 

 these countries. As before the names of towns and wells, so also the article 

 is sometimes used before the name of a species of date-fruit. 



