1459 



coconut, and renowned for Its power of resisting 

 moisture. It is used by the natives of the Indian 

 Islands for every purpose of cordage and Is known as 

 ' tsongli ' . Underneath this material is found a substance 

 of a soft, gossamer-like texture, which is imported 

 into China. It is applied as oakum in caulking the 

 seams of ships, and more generally as tinder for 

 kindling fire, it is for the latter purpose that It 

 Is chiefly in demand among the Chinese. In Malacca, 

 the gomuti, there termed 'kabong 1 , is cultivated prin- 

 cipally for the juice which it yields for the manufac- 

 ture of sugar." (Simmonds, Tropical Agriculture, p. 

 252.) - Although the leaves of this sugar-palm were cut 

 back by the fall frost, in Bay City, Fla., the trunk 

 and body were not Injured, and the tree is thriving. 



Spathode-u nilotica (Bignoniaceae ) , 47502. From 

 Entebbe, Uganda. Seeds presented by the chief forest- 

 ry officer, Forestry Department. This is a bushy, 

 very beautiful , flowering tree, up to 20 feet in height, 

 native to the Upper Nile Valley and the Belgian Congo. 

 The opposite leaves are made up of 9 to 15 leathery 

 leaflets covered with dense, short hairs beneath. The 

 bright scarlet flowers are borne in short, dense, 

 terminal racemes and resemble closely those of the 

 well-known 5. eampanulata. (Adapted from Thiselton-Dyer , 

 Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. 4, part 2, p. 529.) 



"As b. cam; aaul'.tta has flowered in south Florida, 

 even though tende^, it is to be hoped that 5. nilotica 

 may prove hardier, and, if really as beautiful, it will 

 be a valuable addition to the ornamentals of that 

 region." (Fairchild.) 



Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae), 47515. Kaa-Hee. 

 From Asuncion, Paraguay. Seeds presented by Mr. H. H. 

 Balch, American consul. "This Paraguayan herb is of 

 peculiar Interest because of the remarkable sweetness 

 of the leaves. A fragment placed on the tongue seems 

 as sweet as a lump of sugar of similar size. Several 

 years ago the discovery that this plant, then called 

 Eupatorium, contained a substance u-any times sweeter 

 than sugar was heralded by the press and excited the 

 keen Interest of sugar planters all over the world. 

 The substance turned out to be a glucoside and the 

 anxiety of the sugar Interests subsided. Further 

 investigations, however, are now being made with 

 this plant, by biological chemists and dieticians, 

 because of the possibilities of utilizing sweet 



