1049 



Prosopis spieigera L. (Mimosaceae . ) 43282 Seeds from 

 Saharanpur, India. Presented by Mr. A. C. Hartless, 

 Superintendent, Government Botanical Gardens. A de- 

 ciduous thorny tree, found in the arid zones of the 

 Panjab, Sind, Deccan, etc. It is easily raised from 

 seed and coppices well. The tap root is enormously 

 long, in one specimen measuring 86 feet in length, 

 penetrating the soil to a depth of 64 feet. From the 

 stumps of pruned branches and other scars a gum ex- 

 udes, similar to gum arable, but, although worthy of 

 investigation, hitherto not used. The bark of the 

 tree is used as a tan. The pods are sometimes used 

 for medicinal purposes, but more often are employed 

 as fodder, and in some localities the poorer classes 

 eat the bark. (Adapted from Watt, Dictionary Econ. 

 Prod. India, vol. 6, part 1, p. 340-341.) 



JProsopis strombulifera (Lam.) Bentham. (Mimosaceae.) 

 43386. Seeds from Argentina. Collected by Dr. J. N. 

 Rose, and Mr. P. G. Russell, U. S. National Museum. 

 "This grows commonly in the Mendoza desert and is a 

 low shrub not over twelve inches high. Its peculiar 

 screw shaped pods look like bright yellow spikes of 

 flowers a short distance away. The plant might prove 

 to be a very good hedge or border plant in western 

 Texas and Arizona. The pods hang on long after the 

 leaves have fallen." (Rose.) 



Schinopsis lorentzii (Griseb.) Engler. (Anacardiaceae. ) 

 43352. Seeds from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Presented 

 by the Director, Botanic Garden. "Tree with very hard 

 wood, unequally pinnate coriaceous compound leaves, 

 flowers in branched panicles; fruit a samara. The 

 products which are extracted from this tree constitute 

 the principal resource of the inhabitants where the 

 tree grows. It is one of the Argentine woods which, 

 exposed to the air, buried in part or entirely, or 

 submerged in water, will keep 25 years in good condi- 

 tion, as attested by experiments made by the Argentine 

 railway with posts, beams, ties, etc. When full-grown, 

 the logs are made into beams, ties, telegraph poles, 

 etc., and exported in large quantity. The charcoal 

 is very compact; and the extract (tannin) is an im- 

 portant product. The saw-dust is much used as an as- 

 tringent." (Carrasco.) 



Toona ciliata Roemer. (Meliaceae.) 45288. Seeds of 

 Toon tree from Darjeeling, India. A large, rapidly 



