904 



Aleurites moluccana (L. ) Willd. (Euphorbiaceae . ) 40977. 

 Seeds of the candlenut tree from Manila, Philippine 

 lands. Presented by Bureau of Agriculture. "A handsome 

 tree with spreading branches, alternate, lobed , pubescent 

 leaves of a pale color, rounded or cordate at t the base, 

 with two glands at the top of the petiole. Flowers small, 

 white, in terminal lax cymes; fruit fleshy, coriaceous, 

 globose, with four shallow furrows; seeds one or two, 

 rugose, gibbous. The candlenut tree is widely spread over 

 Polynesia, a small part of Malaysia, and the Philippine 

 Islands. Throughout Polynesia the nuts, strung on coco- 

 nut-leaflet ribs, serve the natives for candles to light 

 their houses. In Hawaii they are roasted, chopped up, 

 mixed with seaweed, and served at native feasts as a rel- 

 ish. They yield an oil which is very fluid, of an amber 

 color, without smell, insoluble in alcohol, readily sapon- 

 ifiable, and quickly drying. This oil is a mild cathar- 

 tic, acting in the same manner as castor oil, but causing 

 no nausea nor griping, and having the further advantage of 

 a nutty flavor and of being more prompt in its effects." 

 (Safford, Useful Plants of Guam.) 



Anacardium excelsum (Bert . & Balb. ) Skeels . (Anacardla- 

 ceae.) 40987. Seeds of nariz from Trinidad, Santa Clara 

 Province, Cuba. "A magnificent tree, native of South 

 America. It is very rare here in Cuba but there are four 

 or five fine old specimens beside the cart road from Cas- 

 ilda to Trinidad, and It is from these fine specimens 

 (which have been noted by Roig and de la Maza, Flora de 

 Cuba, p. 131) that these seeds were obtained. The nariz 

 grows to 60 or 65 feet in height, forming an erect but 

 rather broad, compact head of deep green foliage. As 

 a shade and ornamental tree it should have considerable 

 value. The leaves are entire or nearly so, upon stout 

 petioles one-half to one inch long, the blades obovate, 

 oblanceolate or spatulate, six to eighteen inches long, 

 two and one-half to six inches broad, the apex obtuse to 

 subacute, the base cuneate-attenuate , the surface smooth 

 and deep green above, somewhat paler beneath, the vena- 

 tion raised below. The fruits ripen principally in Au- 

 gust; they are dark brown, about an inch long, reniform 

 and flattened, shaped somewhat like a nose, whence the 

 name nariz. Unlike the cashew, the fruit stalk is not large 

 and swollen, but is inconspicuous. The seeds are not con- 

 sidered edible. While this tree appears to have no par- 

 ticular economic value, it is worthy of trial as an orna- 

 mental, and it would also be of interest to test it as a 

 stock for its relative, the mango . " (Popenoe ' s introduc- 

 tion. ) 



