1239 



tree is very easily propagated from suckers. The tree 

 that we have in our nursery is about 12 feet high and 

 about 6 feet broad. It would have been considerably 

 larger than this but for the fact that some four 

 years ago we headed it back to about 3| feet from the 

 ground. This tree had at least 1^ bushels of fruit 

 which matured from the middle of August up to Novem- 

 ber. It is most prolific, the fruits on this one tree 

 running up into the thousands ." (Berckmans.) The fruit 

 much resembles a dense cluster of very large red 

 raspberries of the strigosus type in appearance, and 

 when fully ripe has much the flavor of an over-ripe 

 red raspberry. It has possibilities for jelly making. 

 The numerous seeds are large, but as considerable va- 

 riation has been noted in their size, selection may 

 ultimately reduce them sufficiently to make the fruit 

 a popular one. 



Ficus palmata x earica (Moraceae), 45235. Fig. From 

 Algiers, Algeria. Presented by Dr. L. Trabut . "Seeds 

 of Ficus palmata, fertilized by Fieus cariea. Ficus palmata, 

 originally from Abyssinia and Erythrea appears inter- 

 esting, first, as one of the probable ancestors of 

 Ficus cariea; second, the male plants are excellent cap- 

 rifigs to supply the blastophaga. The autumn figs 

 (Mammoni) now have the male flowers and at this moment 

 it is still possible for the blastophaga to carry 

 the pollen. The female plants yield mediocre edible 

 fruits. The hybrids should be interesting for desert 

 regions. " (Trabut. ) 



Hibiscadalphus gif/ardianus (Malvaceae), 45242. From 

 Honolulu, Hawaii. Presented by Mr. Joseph F. Rock, 

 Botanist, College of Hawaii. "The Han kuahiii'i is a re- 

 markable tree. At first appearance one would take it 

 to be the common Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) , but at closer 

 inspection one cannot but wonder at the most peculiar 

 shape of the flowers, which are of a deep magenta, 

 and the large yellow tuberculate capsules. It is a 

 rather low tree with not erect but rather inclining 

 trunk of a foot in diameter, with a many-branched 

 round crown. It differs from the genus Hibiscus in 

 its very peculiar flowers (which are curved and con- 

 voluted) and mainly in the calyx, which is not per- 

 sistent with the capsules, but drops, together with the 

 bracts, as soon as the capsules are formed." (Rock, 

 Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands, p. 299.) 



