40 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



The "lemon berry" is a fruit of Rhus integrifolia, and is coated 

 with an acid exudation which is said to dissolve in water and make a 

 pleasant drink. The fruit of Rhus trilobata is said to have both a 

 sweet and an acid coating. 



The berries of the "toyon" or "tollon" (Heteromeles arbutifolia)' 

 or "California holly," are said to be eaten by Indians, but they serve 

 the white people a better purpose in Christmas decorations. 



The "jujubs" of commerce (Zizyphus jujuba) has a local relative 

 in Zizyphus parryi, which is, however, dry, and mealy, rather than 

 juicy. 



The "beach strawberry," or "sea fig," is the fruit of Mcsembrian- 

 themwm aequilaterale, a relative of the ice-plant. The good -sized fruit 

 is gathered along the seashore, and remotely suggests a strawberry. 



Wild Olive (Forestieria Neo-mexicana.) This is a tall willow- 

 like shrub, found in springy places on the borders of the Mojave 

 Desert. It also grows in the Salinas Valley. It bears an abundance 

 of small fruits which, from their botanical relationship to the olive, have 

 attracted some attention. Experiments to determine its standing as a 

 possible root for the olive have been suggested. 



Wild Nuts of California. The wild nuts of California are of 

 very little commercial importance. The wild almond (Prunus Ander- 

 sonii) of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas is chiefly of botani- 

 cal interest, although some experiments are in progress in its use as 

 a grafting stock for the sweet almond. The California filbert (Corylus 

 Calif ornica) has none of the quality of the improved filberts nor even 

 of the wild hazelnut. Our native chestnut, the giant Chinquapin 

 (Castanopsis chrysophylla) has a sweet kernel, but a hard shell, almost 

 like a hazelnut; its near relative, Castanopsis sempervirens or 

 Bush Chinquapin of the Sierra Nevada and dry Coast Range, is said 

 to have a bitter flavored kernel. The nuts of both of these species are 

 very difficult to obtain because the fruit sets sparingly and the squirrels 

 harvest the crop early. Our native walnut (Juglans Calif ornica) is 

 better in flavor than the Eastern black walnut, but its hard shell makes 

 it of little commercial account in competition with better, cultivated 

 nuts. The root is widely used as a stock for the English walnut. 



The one native nut which is regularly sold in the local market is the 

 "pinenut" seeds of several species of Pacific Coast pines, particularly 

 the "Nevada Nut Pine" or "One-leaf Pinion." Their flavor is somewhat 

 resinous, but is agreeable. 



The seeds of two species of palms, Washingtonia filifera and the 

 Lower California Erythea armata, are sought for by the Indians, who 

 also eat the sweetish fruit of the Yucca Mojavensis, which somewhat re- 

 sembles in shape the banana, and in flavor the fig, and is called the 

 "wild date." 



The Indians also use the acorns of several species of California 

 oaks as food, extracting the bitterness by soaking in water, and then 

 making a rude bread of the acorn meal. 



The "jajoba," or "goat-nut" (Simmondsia Calif ornica), is a low 

 shrub, the fresh fruits of which, deprived of their seed-coats, are eaten 



