1317 



Acanthorhiza aculeata. (Phoenicaceae ) , 45906. Wendland 

 palm. Prom Venezuela. Collected by Mr. H. M. Curran, 

 Laurel, Maryland. "A palm with a trunk 6 to 9 feet 

 tall and 4 to 6 inches in diameter, armed with spini- 

 form roots 3 to 4 inches in length. The leaves, form- 

 ing a dense crown, are fan-shaped, green above and 

 silvery below, about 3 feet in diameter on petioles 

 18 inches long. The leaf bases are densely covered 

 with woolly scurf which splits into many strong fi- 

 bers; and the branched inflorescence about 2 feet long, 

 is also densely covered with white wooly scurf. The 

 smooth fruit, three-fourths of an inch long by five 

 eights of an inch in diameter, is not edible." (C. B. 

 Doyle. ) 



Anaeardium oceidentale (Anacardiaceae ) , 45915. Cashew. 

 From Panama, R. P. Presented by Mr. Ramon Arias- 

 Feraud. "Red cashew. Trees, about 20 feet high, bearing 

 fruits the third year." (Arias-F. ) A handsome quick- 

 growing tree reaching a height of 40 feet, with large, 

 entire, oval leaves; the wood is close-grained, strong 

 and durable, and is used for boat building. The cashew, 

 like the poison ivy, possesses an acrid substance 

 which is strongly irritant to the epidermis and the 

 mucous membranes of human beings. The poisonous ma- 

 terial is not, however, spread throughout the plant but 

 is mostly concentrated in the rather soft shell of the 

 nut which is borne upon a pear-shaped, red or yellow, 

 fleshy receptacle, 2 to 4 inches long. This receptacle 

 is edible and quite harmless when ripe, having a very 

 agreeable subacid taste in the raw state, and is also 

 very good when cooked. The nut is kidney-shaped or 

 distinctly curved near the middle, and contains a 

 single large kernel of quite firm flesh, of fine tex- 

 ture, and of delicate, very pleasant nutty flavor. 

 No attempt, however, should be made to eat it in the 

 raw state on account of the poisonous juice of the 

 shell which must be driven off by the heat, so that 

 roasting is an absolute necessity. (Adapted from Cook 

 and Collins, Economic Plants of Porto Rico.) 



Annona reticulata (Annonaceae) , 45955. Bullock's-heart. 

 From Colombia. Presented by Mr. W. 0. Wolcott , Medellin, 

 Colombia. "The tree grows about 15 feet high, 'is very 

 thrifty, thriving best in a hot climate from sea-level 

 to about 3,000 feet elevation, and apparently wants 

 rich soil and plenty of moisture. The fruit is about 

 the size and shape of a bullock's heart, and has a 



