820 



interesting relative of the cottons was supposed to be 

 extinct, a single tree only remaining on the Molokai ranch 

 where it occurred, but during the summer this tree supposed 

 to be dead, revived and a single branch put forth leaves 

 and flowers and produced a few seeds. These seeds were 

 procured for this Office by Mr. Rock, and will be propa- 

 gated for distribution for comparison with Kokia Rocltii, 

 already widely distributed to botanic gardens. 



Lycopersicon esculentwm Miller. (Solanaceae . ) 39362. 

 Seeds of a wild tomato from Funchal , Madeira. Presented 

 by Mr. Charles H. Gable, Director, Junta Agricola. "The 

 little wild tomato, Lycopersicon vulgare cerasiforme which is 

 found in Madeira is considered by Lowe (Manual Flora of 

 Madeira) as being the original stock from which our culti- 

 vated varieties have been derived. The same author states 

 that besides 'growing spontaneously everywhere below 2000 

 feet above Funchal and other towns and villages in Ma- 

 deira, it is completely naturalized on the central rocky 

 crest of the North Deserta. ' The North Deserta is an al- 

 most barren, uninhabitated island which lies about thirty 

 miles north from Madeira. The selection which has taken 

 place in the development of our cultivated varieties has 

 not greatly changed the general appearance of the plant. 

 The v/riter has not had the opportunity of making the care- 

 ful botanical study necessary for the intelligent compari.- 

 son of the characters presented by this wild tomato and 

 our cultivated varieties, so there will be presented here 

 only very brief observations of the conditions in which 

 the plants grow. One of these plants was transplanted to 

 a favorable part of the garden where the ground was rich, 

 and had plenty of moisture. It made a tremendous growth, 

 and at the end of three months, the plant was five feet in 

 diameter and three and one-half feet high. Unfortunately 

 the plant was destroyed, so that it was impossible to com- 

 plete the record. Another plant was found where it could 

 not ,have had a drop of water for at least three months. 

 It probably had started to grow during the last few rains 

 of the spring, but had completed its growth during the 

 heat and drought of the summer. The particular spot where 

 it grew was the hottest of the hottest part of the island. 

 When it was found, the vine was apparently entirely dead, 

 and lying flat on the ground; the leaves had dried up and 

 dropped off, but the fruits every one of which was ripe, 

 were clinging to the vine. It also seemed very strange to 

 find that the fruits were all plump and firm, over three 

 hundred of them on this one vine. The fruits are so very 

 acid that they can be used for little else besides soups, 

 and the natives do not use them a great deal even for 

 that. Their keeping quality, however, may prove a desir- 



