CHENOPODIUM 



CHERIMOYA 



737 



glandular herbs, often with strong odor. Some of them 

 are used as pot-herbs or "greens." 



A. Fls. in dense heads or glomerules which become berry- 

 like and bright red in fr. 



capitatum, Aschers. (Blitumcapitatum, Linn.). STRAW- 

 BERRY ELITE. Annual, erect and becoming diffuse or 

 'spreading, branching, glabrous or nearly so: Ivs. soft, 

 hastate-ovate, toothed, stalked: fr.-clusters large and 

 becoming fleshy, in an interrupted spike, the upper 

 part leafless. Eu. A frequent but not pernicious weed, 

 and sometimes offered as a pot-herb. 



AA. Fls. not in dense separate heads, and the clusters not 

 becoming prominently fleshy or colored. 



B. Plant shrubby, spinescent. 



nitrariaceum, F. Muell. Rigid, much-branched, often 

 prostrate shrub or undershrub, mealy-white: lys. linear- 

 oblong or linear-spatulate, obtuse, entire, 1 in. or less 

 long, often clustered: fls. clustered in dense or more or 

 less interrupted spikes and panicles, greenish. Aus- 

 tral. Offered in Eu. 



BB. Plant herbaceous. 

 c. Species perennial: a pot-herb. 



Bdnus-Henricus, Linn. (Blitum Bdnus-Henricus, 

 Reichb.). GOOD KING HENRY. MERCURY (by cor- 

 ruption, Markery). Stout and_ erect from a thick root- 

 stock, to 2H ft., glabrous:' Ivs. broad, triangular- 

 hastate or ovate, with very long wide-spreading basal 

 points, entire or undulate: fls. in paniculate spikes. Eu. 

 Escaped now and then; and sometimes cult, for 

 "greens." 



cc. Species annual. 



purpurascens, Jacq. (C. Atriplicis, Linn. f.). Vigor- 

 ous, erect, 3 ft., the young parts and Ivs. covered 

 attractively with a rose-violet or violet-purple crystal- 

 line pulverulence: Ivs. spatulate or rhomboid or oval, 

 obtuse, long-petioled, the lower ones sinuate-dentate 

 and the upper lanceolate and entire: fls. small and 

 numerous, in dense pyramidal leafy reddish clusters. 

 China. An old garden plant, seldom seen in this 

 country; grown for its colored character in summer. 

 There are different forms, one with variegated foliage. 



amaranticoior, Coste & Reyn. Very large, 8 ft., 

 much like the preceding and perhaps derived from it: 

 st. glabrous, striped white and red: Ivs. triangular to 

 rhomboid, 4 in. or less long, red-pulverulent: fls. in a 

 long red panicle. S. France. Differs from C. pur- 

 purascens in its greater size and its black shining some- 

 what sharp-edged seeds. The brilliant colors dis- 

 appear as the plant matures. 



Quinda, Willd. QUINOA. Erect, stout, st. furrowed, 

 4-5 ft.: Ivs. triangular-ovate, sinuate, long-petioled, 

 angulate-pinnatifid, glaucous: fls. small and green, in 

 dense axillary and terminal farinose clusters arranged 

 in panicles: seeds very large. W. slope of the Andes. 

 B.M. 3641. A very important plant in W. S. Amer., 

 the seeds being used as food. There are white- and red- 

 fruited forms. Sometimes cult, in this country as a 

 curiosity. Allied to C. album, the common pigweed. 



B&trys, Linn. FEATHER GERANIUM. JERUSALEM 

 OAK. Erect, glandular-pubescent and viscid, aromatic, 

 1-3 ft. high, with pinnatifid long-petioled Ivs. and long, 

 feather-like, enduring spikes, for which it is used in 

 vases and baskets; pretty. Eu., and widely naturalized 

 although not usually becoming abundant. 



Many weedy chenopods invade cult, grounds. C. Album, Linn., 

 the common pigweed or lamb's quarters, is a favorite for "greens." 

 This species runs into many forma. C. niride, of Eu. and Asia, has 

 seeds that are said to be edible. C. Vulv&ria, Linn., sparingly 

 intro. from Eu., has the smell of stale fish. C. ambrosioides. Linn., 

 Mexican tea, and var. anthelminticum, Gray, wormseed, are fre- 

 quent; they contain strong essential oils. The weedy species are 

 variable, and puzzling to the systematist. L H B 



CHERIMOYA, CHERIMOYER (Quichua language 

 of Peru, chirimuya, signifying cold seeds). (Annbna 

 Cherimola, Mill.). Figs. 903-905. An important table 

 fruit of warm countries. See p. 293, Vol. I, for botani- 

 cal description. 



The cherimoya is considered by many to be the finest 

 of the subtropical fruits, and that not only by the 

 natives of the countries in which it grows, but also by 

 Europeans. It is somewhat like the pomme-cannelle, 

 or sweet-sop, but differs from it in having a pecuilar 

 acidulous flavor most agreeable and grateful to the 

 taste. For centuries the cherimoya has been cultivated 



903. Cherimoya smooth form. ( X M) 



and several distinct varieties have resulted. One of 

 these has smooth fruit devoid of protuberances, which 

 has been confused with the inferior fruits of both 

 Annona glabra and A. reticulata. The last two species, 

 however, are easily distinguished by their leaves and 

 flowers; Annona glabra, commonly known as the alli- 

 gator apple or mangrove annona, having glossy laurel- 

 like leaves and globose flowers with 6 ovate petals, and 

 A. reticulata having long narrow glabrate leaves devoid 

 of the velvety lining which characterizes those of the 

 cherimoya. Both of these species, moreover, are essen- 

 tially tropical, while the cherimoya is subtropical, 

 growing in tropical countries only at considerable ele- 

 vations, where the climate is cool and the soil well 

 drained. 



The origin of the cherimoya has been much discussed. 

 De Candolle, however, is in all probability correct in 

 attributing it to the mountains of Ecuador and Peru. 

 The common name which it bears, even in Mexico, 

 is of Quichua origin, as explained above; and terra- 

 cotta vases modeled from cherimoya fruits have been 

 dug up repeatedly from prehistoric graves in Peru. 

 It was introduced at a very early date into Central 

 America and Mexico and into Jamaica in 1786 by 

 Hinton East. It is now of spontaneous growth in 

 limited areas both in Central America and the moun- 

 tains of Jamaica. In Madeira, the cherimoya has 

 taken the place of the grape-vine on many of the 

 estates on the warm southern slopes of the island. 

 Here the cultivation is systematic. The two-year-old 

 seedlings are budded or grafted. The trees are fre- 

 quently trained on walls or on trellises, so that the 

 fruit may hang in the shade while ripening, and manure 

 is regularly supplied (see Annona) . The result of careful 

 selection is that there are varieties of fine flavor, com- 

 paratively few seeds, and great size, weighing from 

 twelve to sixteen pounds. According to W. Fawcett, 

 ordinary fruits weighing from three to eight pounds, 

 have been sold in the London market at $1.50; large 

 ones at $2.50 and even $3. The cherimoya has been 



