1920 



LUCUMA 



LUETKEA 



length, and produced upon short stems toward the ends 

 of the branches. The flesh is dry and sometimes mealy 

 in texture, bright orange-yellow, often likened to the 

 yolk of a hard-boiled egg, which it greatly resembles in 

 appearance but not in taste. The flavor is sweet and 

 rather cloying, to the novice at least, while the aroma 

 is peculiar and somewhat musky. The seeds are one 

 to three in number, oval, about an inch in length, hard, 

 dark brown and shining, except on the ventral surface, 

 which is dull, pale brown. The fruits usually require 

 several days to soften after being picked from the tree, 

 and as the skin is soft and delicate they do not ship so 

 well as those of the mamey sapote. This species is not 

 put to many different uses, the fruit usually being eaten 

 while fresh. The tree is ornamental in appearance, 

 with bright green, glossy foliage, and rarely grows to a 

 height of more than 20 feet. It is usually propagated 

 by seeds, young plants requiring three to five years to 

 come into bearing. The hard outer husk should be 

 removed from the seed before planting. 



The abiu of tropical Brazil (L. Caimito), greatly 

 resembles the ti-es in growth and foliage, but is easily 

 distinguished by its light yellow fruit, with translucent, 

 whitish, rather juicy flesh, of less cloying flavor than 

 that of the ti-es. The ablu is very popular among the 

 Brazilians, and is commonly cultivated at Rio de 

 Janeiro, Bahia, and other points along the coast. The 

 fruits vary from 2 to 4 inches in length, are usually 

 ovate in form, and have a thick, closely adhering skin, 

 within which lies the soft and melting flesh and two or 

 three large oval seeds. It must be fully ripe to be appre- 

 ciated; if cut while still firm, a milky latex exudes which 

 is sticky and objectionable in the mouth, while the 

 fruit has a strong taste of tannin. The same is true of 

 other species. The tree, called abiero in Portuguese, 

 thrives on a rich clay loam, with an abundance of 

 moisture, and is propagated by seed. 



Little has been done to improve any of the lucumas. 

 There is much variation among seedlings, not only in 

 size and quality of fruit, but in productiveness and 

 other characters as well. The best ones should be 

 selected and propagated by some vegetative means, 

 such as budding. F. W. POPENOE. 



LUDDEMANIA: Lueddemannia. 



LUDWIGIA (C. G. Ludwig, botanist and botanical 

 author at Leipzig, 1709-1773). Sometimes spelled 

 Ludvigia. Onagracese. Herbs, listed among aquatics. 



Annual or perennial aquatic or semi-aquatic small 

 herbs: fls. small and inconspicuous in the axils of the 

 Ivs., the parts usually in 4's: fr. a terete ribbed or winged 

 caps. : Ivs. mostly small and entire or very nearly so, 

 usually not distinctly petioled, alternate or opposite, 

 the opposite-lvd. species by some referred to Isnardia. 

 Species about 25, widely spread in warm and temperate 

 regions. The sts. are often creeping, sometimes float- 

 ing. The ludwigias have little standing as horticul- 

 tural subjects. They are sometimes useful in bog- 

 gardens, and one is advertised for aquaria. Three 

 names are in the American trade. 



A. Lvs. alternate. 



alternifdlia, Linn. SEED-BOX, or RATTLE-BOX. An 

 erect shrub, 2-3 ft. or more tall, in appearance not 

 unlike an epilobium, the root sometimes tuberous: Ivs. 

 lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, narrowed below, entire 

 or sometimes with mere suggestions of teeth: fls. large 

 for the genus (H m - across), with yellow caducous 

 petals: caps, large, square in cross-section. Bogs and 

 wet woods in eastern half of U. S. Interesting, but 

 not showy. 



AA. Lvs. opposite. 



palustris, Ell. (Isndrdia palustris, Linn.). WATER 

 PURSLANE. Trailing in muddy places or floating on 

 shallow water, rooting at the joints: Ivs. oval or oval- 



oblong, narrowed into a short petiole: fls. very small, 

 usually reddish. Nova Scotia to Calif, and Mex.; 

 Eu., Asia ; offered as a bog-plant. 



Mftlerttii, Mulertt. Lvs. oval to lance-oblong, nar- 

 rowed into short petioles, entire: fls. yellow: fr. oblong, 

 truncate on top, ^in. long. Intro, from S. Amer. by 

 Hugo Mulertt, then of Cincinnati, and described in "Isis" 

 (published in Germany) in 1880 or 1881, and also in 

 the "Aquarium," Vol. Ill, pp. 43, 64. It is now widely 

 distributed amongst growers of aquarium plants. It 

 seems not to have been studied by systematic botanists. 

 It is prized for its graceful habit and because it is ever- 

 green. Grows well from cuttings and from seeds. 

 Mulertt, now residing in Germany, gives the follow- 

 ing additional information: From the soil coming with 

 rhizomes of nymphea from the Amazon Valley in 

 1878 this ludwigia made its appearance. At first the 

 plants were not considered to be unusual, but it soon 

 became a favorite with customers, and it has now been 

 widely distributed among aquarists. In Germany, 

 where it is now frequently prop, from seed, several 

 varieties have appeared, but although they retain the 

 evergreen character they do not develop the graceful 

 shape and brilliant crimson coloring of the foliage of 

 the type. "The plant wants a shady location with a 

 high temperature in a water-depth of about 15-18 

 in. to display its full character below the water-surface. 

 In a sunny location, during summer, it grows above 

 water, the foliage then displaying glossy dark brownish 

 green on top and crimson-purple (or violet-crimson) 

 below. Yellow flowers soon appear in the axils of the 

 Ivs. and develop into little caps, that bear the seeds. 

 If left in the caps., these retain life for 6 or 8 years." 



L. H. B. 



LUEDDEMANNIA (Herr Lueddemann). Or- 

 chiddcese. A small group of S. American orchids, allied 

 to Cycnoches, but resembling Acineta in habit and re- 

 quiring treatment similar to the acinetas : sepals oblong 

 and acute, arched; petals cuneate-oblong and acute; 

 ovary pubescent or velvety; fls. handsome, very many 

 on a pendulous peduncle. 



L. Lthmannii, Reichb. f. (Cycnoches Lehmannii, Reichb. f.). 

 Lvs. long and petioled, acute: pseudobulbs furrowed, pyrifcrm, 6 or 

 7 in. long: fls. 20-30, wax-like, orange-yellow; sepals copper-col- 

 ored on exterior. Colombia. L. Pescatdrei, Reichb. f. (Cycnoches 

 Pescatorei, Lindl. & Paxt.). Lvs. lanceolate, glaucous, leathery: 

 fls. 30-50, about 1% in. diam., sepals orange-brown; petals and lip 

 deep yellow, the disk hairy: peduncle 3 ft. Colombia. B.M. 7123. 

 L. Sanderi&na, Kr&nzl.=LacEna bicolor. L. triloba, Rolfe. 

 Pseudobulbs and Ivs. smaller than in two preceding, the Ivs. about 

 1 ft. long and the ovoid pseudobulb about 2^ in. long: fls. deep 

 orange-yellow, the peduncle short (about 6 in.); lip marked with 

 chocolate-red; sepals with a crimson flush. Andes. L. Vyvereana, 

 Schlecht. Allied to L. Pescatorei, but lip with a longer claw and 

 different shape, with a smaller basal callus, and a less prominent 

 thickening in middle of the blade. Peru. L H B. 



LUEHEA (F. Karl van der Liihe, Austrian botanist 

 interested in the Cape of Good Hope). Tiliacese. About 

 16 species of trees and tall shrubs from the warmer parts 

 of Amer., with usually toothed Ivs. and handsome 

 white or rosy fls. borne in a terminal panicle, or some- 

 times in the axils: sepals and petals 5; stamens numer- 

 ous, the outer ones often without anthers; ovary 5- 

 celled: caps, rather woody, loculicidally semi-5-valved. 

 A species was intro. into Santa Barbara, some years 

 ago, from Paraguay. It is probably L. divaricdta, Mart., 

 with Ivs. oblong or elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, irregu- 

 larly serrate, grayish beneath. Luehea is also spelled 

 Luhea, and the genus of this name of the Verbenacea? 

 is a S. African group referred to Stilbe. 



LUETKEA (after Fr. Luetke, Russian sea captain, in 

 charge of the fourth Russian voyage around the world). 

 Syn. Eriogynia. Rosacese. A prostrate and trailing 

 undershrub, forming dense carpets, with ascending 

 flowering shoots 2-6 in. high, small alternate trifid Ivs. 

 and small white fls. in upright racemes. It is closely 



