1976 



MAMMEA 



MAMMILLARIA 



rounded or blunt at the apex, coriaceous, deep green, 

 glossy on the upper surface, marked with numerous fine 

 transverse, reticulated veins and pellucid dots; petiole 

 stout, ^in. or less in length: fls. solitary or clustered 

 in the axils of the young shoots; petals white, fragrant; 

 anthers oblong, laterally dehiscent: fr. globose, 3-6 in. 

 diam., russet, seeds 1-4. A native of the W. Indies 

 and ISl . S. Amer. 



When grown on deep rich soils, the mammee-apple 

 attains large proportions, and is one of the most beau- 

 tiful and conspicuous trees in the West Indies. Its 



2313. Mammea americana. Mammee-apple. (X l /i) 



trunk sometimes attains a diameter of 3 or 4 feet, while 

 its dense, erect but very broad crown is of a deeper, 

 richer shade of green than that of most other trees. The 

 large, oblong leaves appear as if varnished. The tree is 

 cultivated for its fruit in the West Indies as well as 

 on the mainland of tropical America. It is successfully 

 grown in Florida as far north as Palm Beach, and 

 though not common, fine specimens are occasionally 

 seen at Miami and other points. While young it is 

 very susceptible to frost. It has never been success- 

 fully grown in the open in California, so far as known, 

 and is probably too tender for any section of that state. 



The fruit is oblate to round in form, commonly 4 to 6 

 inches in diameter, the surface russet-colored and some- 

 what rough. The pliable leathery skin is Y% inch in 

 thickness; if cut when green, a bright yellow mucilagin- 

 ous sap exudes. Surrounding the one to four large, 

 oval, rough seeds is the bright yellow flesh, juicy but 

 of firm texture. The flavor is frequently compared to 

 that of the apricot, and when the fruit is stewed or 

 preserved the resemblance is rather striking. The pulp 

 is sometimes sliced and served with wine, or sugar and 

 cream, but is usually preferred by Europeans in the 

 form of sauce, preserves or jam. The season of ripening 

 in the West Indies is in the summer. 



From the fragrant white flowers a liqueur is distilled 

 in the French West Indies which is known as eau de 

 Creole or creme de cr6ole. The wood is hard and 

 durable, and is said to be well adapted to building pur- 



poses as well as cabinet-work; it is beautifully grained 

 and takes a high polish. The resinous gum obtained 

 from the bark is used to extract chigoes from the feet. 

 Propagation is usually by seeds, which germinate 

 readily if planted in light sandy loam. While the tree 

 prefers a rich well-drained soil, it succeeds remarkably 

 well on the shallow sandy soil, underlaid with soft 

 limestone, of the Florida east coast. Seedlings exhibit 

 considerable variation, and do not, as a rule, come into 

 bearing under six or seven years of age. Some asexual 

 method should be utilized to propagate desirable 

 varieties; inarching succeeds with the mangosteen, and 

 should be applicable to this plant as well; budding 

 might also be successful, performed as with the mango. 

 Through selection of seedlings the fruit could be greatly 

 improved; as an example, a seedling is known in the 

 Isle of Pines in which the flesh separates readily from 

 the seeds, although it normally adheres very closely. 



F. W. POPENOE. 



MAMMILLARIA (Latin, mammila; referring to the 

 nipple-like tubercles on these plants) . Often but not orig- 

 inally spelled Mamillaria. Cactacese. Globular or con- 

 densed small spiny cacti grown in greenhouses and some of 

 the species in the open far South ; mostly fanciers' plants. 



Stems simple, branching or in a cluster from the 

 root, commonly hemispherical or short-cylindrical, but 

 often depressed or sometimes much elongated, the sur- 

 face entirely broken up into tubercles (mamillae) : flg. 

 usually short-funnelform, with naked or nearly naked 

 tube and ovary, borne in the more or less woolly axils 

 between the tubercles, or at the inner extremity of a 

 narrow groove on their upper surface: fr. globose to 

 linear-clavate, nearly always smooth and berry-like. 

 The name Mammillaria is one of the generic names 

 conserved by the Vienna rules of nomenclature, but 

 there seems to be no justification for this except as a 

 matter of convenience. The name Mammillaria, used 

 for a cactus genus, was given by Haworth in 1812, but 

 is antedated by the Mammillaria published by Stack- 

 house for a genus of alga. The alga name has long been 

 reduced to synonony, but a recent study of its status 

 seems to justify its reestablishment. Mammillaria, as 

 considered here, follows closely the treatment in Cyclo. 

 Amer. Hort., but, as a matter of fact, it would be 

 better to divide the group into 2 or more genera. Brit- 

 ton & Rose are preparing a monograph of the Cacta- 

 cese in which these points will be discussed; but in the 

 meantime, the old name Mammillaria will be retained. 



The cultivation of Mammillaria differs in no respect 

 from Echinocactus, which see. 



INDEX. 



