2556 



PERSEA 



PERSIMMON 



A. Older calyx-lobes distinctly shorter than the inner. 



Borbdnia, Spreng. (P. carolinensis, Nees). RED BAY. 

 BULL BAY. Tree, reaching 40 ft., with smoothish 

 branches: Ivs. 2-3 in. long, oblong to lanceolate-oblong, 

 glabrous and deep green above, glaucous beneath: fls. 

 pubescent, the peduncles of the clusters shorter than 

 the petioles: fr. a small blue drupe. Woods, N. C. to 

 Fla. A handsome evergreen, with wood useful for 

 cabinet work and other purposes. 



AA. Outer calyx-lobes equaling the inner, or very nearly so. 



indica, Spreng. Handsome tree, with elliptic-oblong 

 or lanceolate-oblong attenuate-acute glabrous Ivs., 3-8 

 in. long: panicle 3-6 in. long, the peduncles compressed, 

 and the branches 3-5-fld., the fls. white and J4 m - long: 

 fr. scarcely fleshy. Canary Isls., Madeira, and the 

 Azores. 



gratissima, Gaertn. f . (P. americana, Mill.). AVOCADO. 

 ALLIGATOR PEAR. AHUACATE. AGUACATE. AVOCAT. 

 AVOCATO. ABACATE. Fig. 2873; Figs. 445, 446, Vol. I. 

 A large tree, commonly with broad crown up to 60 ft.: 

 Ivs. oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate to oval or 



2873. Persea gratissima. 

 Avocado. (XH) 



obovate, 4-10 in. long, 2^-6 in. broad, apex acute or 

 shortly acuminate, sometimes almost blunt, the base 

 acute to truncate, frequently rounded, surface gla- 

 brous above, usually somewhat glaucous with the vena- 

 tion prominent below; petiole %-2 in. long, canalicu- 

 late above: fls. shortly pedicellate, in broad compact 

 panicles at the ends of the young branchlets, about 

 ^jin. across, greenish, the calyx-lobes oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute, slightly concave, finely pubescent; fertile sta- 

 mens 9, in 3 series, each stamen of the inner series 

 bearing just above its base 2 oval flattened orange- 

 colored glands; filaments slender, finely hairy, the 

 anthers oblong-ovate, dehiscing by 4 valves hinged 

 distally, the 2 outer series dehiscing extrorsely, the 

 inner series with the 2 distal valves extrorse and the 

 proximal pair introrse; staminodes 3, flattened, orange- 

 colored; ovary ovate-elliptic, the style slender, attenu- 

 ate, finely pubescent: fr. a large fleshy drupe, commonly 

 pyriform, ovate or spherical, 2-8 in. long, green, 

 maroon or purple in color, the epicarp membranous to 

 thick and woody ; mesocarp soft, yellow, and buttery; 

 seed 1, large, conical to oblate, inverted, exalbuminous, 

 with 2 thin seed-coats often distinct, reticulated. 

 Certainly indigenous in Mex. and Cent. Amer., extend- 

 ing perhaps to N. S. Amer. 



The avocado is cultivated commercially in Florida 

 and California, as well as in other parts of tropical 

 America. See Avocado. Several distinct forms are 

 known in cultivation, some of them having been con- 

 sidered botanical varieties by certain botanists. The 

 horticultural varieties grown in the United States are 



generally grouped into three types, which may be dis- 

 tinguished as follows: 



A. Lvs. anise-scented: skin of fr. thin and soft 



1. Mexican type 

 AA. Lvs. not anise-scented: skin of fr. thick. 



B. Surface of fr. usually smooth; skin leathery, 

 usually not more than -fain, thick; seed-coats 

 frequently distinct, the outer one adhering to 



wall of seed-cavity; cotyledons often rough 



2. West Indian type 



BB. Surface of fr. usually rough or warty; skin 

 brittle, granular, fj- -fain, thick; seed-coats 

 adhering closely to the nearly smooth cotyle- 

 dons 3. Guatemalan type 



Occasional forms will be found which are difficult to 

 classify by the above key. Especially is this true of the 

 Guatemalan type, of which there are several varieties 

 in California with the skin no thicker than in some 

 varieties of the West Indian type, and nearly as 

 smooth. These can usually be distinguished, however, 

 by the character of the seed and its coats. Solano and 

 Blakeman may be mentioned as smooth-skinned exam- 



Eles of this class. Trees of the Guatemalan type usually 

 ave darker-colored foliage than those of the West 

 Indian, and ripen their fruit from January to April, 

 while the West Indian ripens from July to November. 

 The Guatemalan type is considerably the hardier of 

 the two. Both are greatly exceeded in hardiness by 

 the Mexican type, which has been known to 

 withstand temperatures of 18 to 20 without 

 serious injury. Chappelow, Ganter, and Harman 

 are varieties of this type well known in Cali- 

 fornia, where they originated. This type is 

 exceedingly common in northern Mexico; the 

 g. Guatemalan type is found in southern Mexico 

 (whence are derived many of the varieties culti- 

 vated in the United States), Guatemala, and 

 doubtless in other Central American states. The 

 West Indian type is the commonest one in Flor- 

 ida, Cuba, and the West Indies in general, and 

 on the eastern coast of South America. The 

 well-known Florida varieties, Trapp and Pollock, are 

 representatives of it. 



P. drymifdlia, Cham. & Schlect., is now considered to be a form 

 of P. gratissima; it is the type with anise-scented Ivs. and small, 

 thin-skinned frs. described above as Mexican. Mez recognizes it 

 as a botanical variety, and describes it along with another variety, 

 P. ffratissima var. Schiediana, also indigenous to Mex. The hardy 

 avocado or yas of San Jos, Costa Rica, has been referred by 

 Werckle 1 to P. jrlgida, Lind., but this name is of doubtful validity. 

 The fr. is figured by Collins (Bull. 77, Bur. PI. Ind.), and is said to 

 be of possible value for hybridization with more tender species. 

 It is spherical, about 3 in. diam., with a very large seed. P. lingue, 

 Nees, and P. Meyeni&na, Nees, are two species which have recently 

 been intro. to the U. S. from Chile. p Ty Poppi^op t 



PERSIC A: Prunus. 

 PERSICARIA: Polygonum. 



PERSIMMON. Interesting and valuable edible 

 fruits. 



Of edible persimmons, two distinct types are grown 

 in this country, Diospyros virginiana, the native 

 species, and D. Kaki, the Chinese- Japanese species, 

 known as the kaki. The latter is much the more 

 improved, and is the source of the commercial persim- 

 mons. See Diospyros. Other species have been intro- 

 duced, but are yet under experiment (cf. "Yearbook, 

 United States Department of Agriculture," 1911, page 

 416). 



The native persimmon. 



The American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana} is 

 found wild in most of the southern states and as far 

 north as 38 latitude. It will thrive and ripen its fruit, 

 however, as far north as Rhode Island and the Great 

 Lakes. The fruit is little known except to those who 

 live in localities in which it grows wild, and even there 



