184 The Journal 
varieties which occur in Brazil, but 
states that they appear equally good 
to him. There ‘are so many varia- 
tions among seedlings that it would 
undoubtedly be an easy matter to 
distinguish a number of horticultural 
varieties; it would be less easy, however, 
to insure their coming true from seed. 
When some readily applicable means 
of vegetative propagation has been 
found, more attention can profitably 
be given to this subject. Fortunately, 
there appears to be less variation among 
seedlings than occurs among many tree 
fruits which have been subjected to long 
cultivation, the pitanga being com- 
parable in this respect to its near 
relative the strawberry guava (Psidium 
 cattleranum Sabine.) 
THE FRUIT AND ITS USES 
Bahian pitangas were found usually 
to be slightly less than an inch in 
diameter, flattened, deeply ribbed, and 
commonly containing one seed with a 
thin, gray seed-coat which becomes 
papery when dry and is easily removed. 
The size of the seed varies greatly in 
fruits from the same tree and is not 
always the same in proportion to the 
size of the fruit. Several large fruits 
were found which had comparatively 
small seeds and a large amount of soft, 
juicy, spicy pulp. 
Miss Thompson’, who has recently 
made an analysis of pitanga fruits in 
Hawaii, finds that they contain a total 
of 9.30% solids, of which 1.93% are 
insoluble. The percentage of acids is 
1.44, of protein 1.019, and the total 
percentage of sugars 6.06. Fat is 
present in about .6%. 
The uses of the fruit are numerous. 
As a fresh fruit, when fully ripe, they 
are delicious, though sometimes the 
novice finds their strongly aromatic, 
almost pungent flavor peculiar and even 
disagreeable. The jelly which is made 
from them possesses a character all its 
own, and vies with guava jelly in popu- 
larity among Bahians. It impressed us 
as being a product of unusual merit. 
Pitanga sherbet is an especial favorite 
in Bahia, and is regularly served in all 
8‘The Composition of Hawaiian Fruits and Nuts, 
Exp. Sta., 1914. 
of Heredity 
the cafés. It is of a beautiful deep 
salmon color, and delicious in flavor. 
A liquer is sometimes prepared from 
the fruit, and also syrups and wines 
which are considered by the Brazilians 
to have medicinal value, being stom- 
achic and facilitating digestion. 
Aside from the fruit itself, the foliage 
is extensively utilized by the Bahians, 
being highly esteemed for decorative 
purposes. In the notes made by one 
of the writers on Christmas Day, 1913, 
the following paragraph appears: 
“The people use pitanga branches to 
decorate carts, animals, street cars, and 
houses. The leaves are scattered over 
the floors of the living rooms in the houses, 
and when crushed under foot give off a 
delightful, refreshing, pungent aroma.” 
The use of this plant for decorative 
purposes at Christmas time is probably 
more extensive in Bahia than is the use 
of holly in the eastern United States; 
it seemed to be, in fact, the most popu- 
lar decorative plant of the region. 
During the holiday season bunches of 
pitanga branches were offered for sale 
by vendors on almost every street. 
In the United States, the fruit is 
usually eaten while fresh or is made into 
jelly. Pitanga sherbet should be tried 
by all who can obtain the fruits, how- 
ever, and other uses will doubtless 
present themselves as the fruit becomes 
better known in this country. 
THE CROP 
A remarkable thing about the pitanga 
is the short time which elapses between 
the appearance of the flowers and the 
ripening of the fruits. Tavares assures 
us that the fruits are ripe within three 
weeks from the time of flowering, and 
in Florida, where the climate is not so 
tropical, they ripen within five or six 
weeks. In Brazil the plants bloom in 
September and ripen a small crop in 
October, flowering again for the main 
crop about December or January. In 
Florida the main crop is produced in 
March, with a few late fruits extending 
the season until May or June, and 
sometimes a second crop late in sum- 
mer. In California the season is ee 
tember or October. 
” 
in the Report of the Hawaii Agrl. 
