﻿SALVADOR 
  — 
  STANDLEY. 
  325 
  

  

  pendages 
  that 
  spread 
  obliquely 
  and 
  form 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  parachute, 
  which 
  

   bears 
  the 
  seed 
  through 
  the 
  air. 
  When 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  fruits 
  falls 
  it 
  is 
  

   not 
  carried 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  distance 
  unless 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  blowing 
  strongly, 
  

   but 
  as 
  it 
  drops 
  it 
  spins 
  about 
  like 
  a 
  top 
  and 
  floats 
  gently 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  There 
  is 
  one 
  other 
  Salvadorean 
  tree 
  (Gyrocarpus 
  ameri- 
  

   canus) 
  known 
  as 
  lagarto 
  or 
  " 
  alligator 
  " 
  that 
  has 
  a 
  fruit 
  almost 
  

   exactly 
  similar, 
  although 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  not 
  colored. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  showy 
  trees 
  is 
  the 
  madre 
  de 
  cacao 
  (Gliricidia 
  sepiwn), 
  

   which 
  owes 
  its 
  name, 
  "cacao-mother," 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  inhabit- 
  

   ants 
  of 
  Central 
  America 
  discovered 
  centuries 
  ago 
  that 
  for 
  some 
  

   reason 
  the 
  cacao 
  plant 
  throve 
  better 
  in 
  its 
  shade 
  than 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  

   other 
  tree. 
  Little 
  cacao 
  is 
  grown 
  in 
  Salvador, 
  but 
  the 
  madre 
  de 
  

   cacao 
  is 
  here 
  in 
  great 
  profusion, 
  being 
  in 
  fact 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  and 
  

   characteristic 
  tree 
  of 
  dry 
  hillsides 
  at 
  low 
  and 
  middle 
  elevations. 
  The 
  

   wood 
  is 
  valuable, 
  especially 
  for 
  its 
  resistance 
  to 
  weather, 
  and 
  the 
  

   tree 
  is 
  often 
  planted 
  for 
  living 
  fence 
  posts. 
  When 
  in 
  blossom 
  it 
  is 
  

   devoid 
  of 
  foliage 
  but 
  thickly 
  clothed 
  with 
  clusters 
  of 
  pale 
  pink 
  flow- 
  

   ers. 
  Except 
  in 
  color, 
  the 
  blossoms 
  are 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  our 
  black 
  locust, 
  

   to 
  which 
  the 
  Central 
  American 
  tree 
  is 
  closely 
  related. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  (Leguminosae) 
  is 
  the 
  tree 
  known 
  as 
  pito 
  

   (Erythrina 
  rubrinervia) 
  , 
  which 
  is 
  never 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  often 
  but 
  a 
  

   shrub. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  ungainly 
  thing, 
  irregular 
  in 
  form, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   clumsy 
  branches, 
  which 
  are 
  tipped 
  with 
  bunches 
  of 
  bright 
  scarlet 
  

   blossoms, 
  followed 
  by 
  pods 
  that 
  contain 
  several 
  red 
  seeds. 
  The 
  seeds 
  

   contain 
  a 
  narcotic 
  poison*, 
  and 
  something 
  of 
  their 
  properties 
  appears 
  

   to 
  exist 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  flowers, 
  which 
  in 
  their 
  season 
  are 
  gathered 
  in 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  quantities 
  and 
  used 
  for 
  food. 
  They 
  are 
  boiled 
  or 
  fried 
  with 
  

   eggs 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  palatable, 
  resembling 
  string 
  beans 
  in 
  flavor. 
  It 
  v 
  

   said 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  eaten 
  in 
  quantity 
  they 
  cause 
  marked 
  drowsiness, 
  

   and 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  this 
  seems 
  not 
  un- 
  

   likely. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  trees 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  whose 
  flowers 
  serve 
  as 
  

   food 
  in 
  Salvador. 
  Most 
  conspicuous 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  izote 
  or 
  yucca 
  

   {Yucca 
  elephantipes) 
  , 
  a 
  plant 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  bayonet 
  type, 
  which 
  

   attains 
  the 
  stature 
  of 
  a 
  good-sized 
  tree. 
  The 
  ample 
  panicles 
  of 
  

   creamy 
  blossoms 
  are 
  seldom 
  left 
  to 
  attain 
  perfection, 
  but 
  are 
  nearly 
  

   always 
  cut 
  when 
  tender, 
  and 
  fried 
  with 
  eggs 
  and 
  eaten. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  of 
  Central 
  American 
  products 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   tested 
  is 
  the 
  pacaya, 
  the 
  inflorescence 
  of 
  a 
  dwarf 
  palm 
  (Ohamae- 
  

   dorea 
  sp.) 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  that 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  higher 
  moun- 
  

   tains. 
  The 
  inflorescences 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  green 
  spathe 
  in 
  such 
  

   a 
  way 
  that 
  they 
  closely 
  resemble 
  small 
  ears 
  of 
  corn. 
  When 
  dipped 
  

   in 
  egg 
  and 
  fried 
  they 
  are 
  tender 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  delicious, 
  agreeably 
  

   bitter 
  flavor. 
  

  

  55379—24 
  22 
  

  

  