TROP^OLUM 



ee. Petals entire. 



10. tuberosum, Ruiz. & Par. Root producing a pyri- 

 form irregular tuber 2-3 in. long: stem climbing, gla- 

 brous; lvs. peltate near the base, cordate-orbicular, 5- 

 lobed nearly or quite to the middle: lis. rather small, 

 the calyx and long spur red, the petals yellow, small 

 and nearly erect and little exceeding the calyx. Peru. 

 B.M. 3714. F.S. 5:452. P.M. 5:49. R.H. 1853:341 

 (tubers). J.H. III. 30:385. -Plant stands some frost. 

 In Peru, the tubers are eaten, and the plant is some- 

 times cult, in Europe for the tubers. It appears in the 

 Amer. catalogues of European dealers. The tubers are 

 usually boiled. 



ddd. Lvs. entire or only undulate. 

 E. Plant pilose. 



11. Lobbianum, Veitch. Annual, climbing, hairy all 

 over except the under parts of the lvs. and the petals : 

 lvs. very long-stalked, peltate, nearly orbicular, undu- 

 late and with points on the margin: lis. large, long- 

 spurred, orange-red, the two upper petals large, broad 

 and entire, the three lower ones small and clawed and 

 coarsely toothed and also fringed on the claws. Colom- 

 bia. B.M. 4097. P.S. 2:67. P.M. 11:271. Var. fimbri- 

 atuni, Hort., has all the petals toothed or fringed. R.H. 

 1856:101. — Seldom seen in its pure state. 



ee. Plant glabrous. 



12. majus, Linn. Pigs. 2585, 2586. Strong-growing, 

 somewhat succulent climbing annual : lvs. peltate, 

 nearly orbicular and undulate-angled: Ms. large, mostly 

 in shades of yellow or orange, with straight spur, the 2 

 upper petals entire or undulate (not apiculate), the 3 

 lower ones narrower and fringes on the claws. Peru. 

 B.M. 23:3375 (var. atrosangnineiim). F.S. 12:1286 (var. 

 atropurpureum nanuni). P.M. 1:176 (var. atrosangui- 

 nenm). There are double-fid. forms. G.C. II. 11:665. 

 These appear to have been introduced into this country 

 about 1885 or 6. There are also dwarf forms. — This spe- 

 cies has been in cult, in Europe since 1684. It is the 

 foundation of the common climbing Nasturtiums. Some 

 of these garden forms are probably the offspring of hy- 

 bridization with T. Lobbianum 



TROPICAL FRUITS 



1861 



B.M. 98. — Very likely blended with T. majus by hybridi- 

 zation, in garden forms. 



T. digitatum, Karat. Climber, with root fibrous: lvs. peltate, 

 5-7-lobed: fls. yellow, 1 in. in diani., the spur long and red, the 

 petals fimbriate. Venezuela.— T. edule, Past. Climber; lvs. 

 orbicular, with 5 or 6 narrow lfts.: 

 fls. in shape like those of T, 

 majus, but smaller, yellow. Pro- 

 duces tuberous edible roots, 

 Chile. P.M. 9:127.-"T. hederce- 

 folia" is offered by A. Blanc in 

 1901.— T. Lindeni, G. Wall. Beau- 

 tiful climber with large, peltate, 

 undulate-lobed lvs. that are pur- 

 plish beneath and beautifully 

 veined with white above: fls. on 

 long pedicels, the long tube red 

 and the calyx-lobes green. Co- 

 lombia. I.H. 41:267. L. H. B. 



2587. Flower of Tropseo- 

 lum minus (X %). 



2586. Tropeeol 



1.1. minus, Linn. Fig. 2587. Dwarf annual, not climb- 

 ing, smaller in all its parts: lvs. apiculate at the ends 

 of the veins: fls. with narrow apiculate petals. Peru. 



TROPICAL FRUITS. Trav- 

 elers hailing from the temper- 

 ate zone are generally sur- 

 prised and delighted, at first, 

 with the fruits they find in 

 tropical markets. This is 

 due to the fact that such 

 things are for the most part 

 new to them. They taste 

 everything they see and not 

 infrequently publish their ex- 

 periences in language where 

 praise is not stinted. Some, 

 on the other hand, view nearly 

 every tropical fruit with prej- 

 udice and disdain and cannot 

 be persuaded to taste, and if 

 eventually persuaded, only to condemn with aversion. 

 Under such circumstances it is not to be wondered at 

 that in some quarters tropical fruits should be held in 

 high esteem, and in others be considered of doubtful 

 value. That good tropical fruits do really exist cannot 

 be disputed, although on careful examination they are 

 found to be few in number, and some kinds far from 

 common even in the local markets. True tropical fruits 

 may be described as those requiring a temperature from 

 16° to 32° centigrade or 60° to 90° Fahr. 



Among the subtropical fruits there are some which 

 appear to thrive in the tropics as well as in their native 

 place, but whether this is really so may be questioned. 

 Any differences in the conditions of the fruits on reaching 

 the ripening stage will account for difficulties often met 

 with in preparing them for export. Such is the orange, 

 for instance; it thrives well under tropical conditions 

 and gives (when the class of plant grown has been well 

 selected) fruit excellent in appearance, large in size, 

 and possessing a fine flavor. If such fruit is grown for 

 export, it must of necessity be packed at seasons of the 

 year when our tropical atmosphere is charged with hu- 

 midity to within 15 per cent of the saturation point, and 

 this fact constitutes an important difficulty often over- 

 looked by beginners in the export trade. Such difficul- 

 ties can, however, be overcome by careful methods of 

 packing and preparation, and by selecting fruit which 

 ripens in the "dry season " when packing facilities are 

 as good as those of a temperate climate. It is very 

 doubtful, however, whether subtropical fruits grown in 

 a humid climate can ever equal in their keeping qualities 

 those produced in a lower temperature and drier cli- 

 mate. It has been proved that fruit can be safely trans- 

 ported to long distances if properly handled, but the 

 treatment to be undergone differs considerably from 

 that which the fruits of temperate climates require. 

 Many tropical fruits are nothing more than what should 

 be called wayside morsels, that is to say, although edi- 

 ble, they are seldom of a quality suitable for dessert, 

 and are consumed mostly by children and wayfarers. 

 By selection and cross-breeding these same fruits are 

 being much improved, and strains will probably be pro- 

 duced which in the future will be largely sought for, as 

 there are good indications of success in varieties which 

 have already appeared. This is work which must be 

 systematically adopted to sustain a regular export trade 

 in tropical fruits, and a good start has been made from 

 several points 



