SPOXDIAS 



SPRAGUEA 



3217 



void, golden yellow, up to 3 in. long, the seed about 

 1 ] o in. long, oval, echinate. Society Isls., but widely 

 spread in the tropics. 



M6mbin, Linn. (S. purpurea, Linn.). SPANISH PLUM. 

 PRUNIER D'ESPAGXE. CIRUELA. Small tree, sometimes 

 spreading, stiff, up to about 25 ft. in height: Ivs. 5-8 in. 

 long; Ifts. 16-21, oblong-elliptic, 1-1 1 A in. long, %n. 

 broad, usually somewhat asymmetrical, acute or blunt- 

 ish. subserrate: racemes unbranched, about %in. long, 

 few-fld.; the fls. purplish maroon: fr. oblong-obovoid, 

 commonly purplish, about 1 in. long, the seed oblong- 

 elliptical, J^-Jiin. long, roughened on the surface. 

 Trop. Amer. 



lutea, Linn. (S. Mombin, .Tacq., not Linn.). HOG- 

 PLUM. MOMBIX. JOBO. CAJA*. Tall, handsome tree, up 

 to about 60 ft. in height: Ivs. 8-12 in. long; Ifts. 7-17, 

 ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 23^-4 in. long, 1-1 H m - 

 broad, subentire or serrulate: panicle %-l ft. long, the 

 fls. yellowish white: fr. ovoid, yellow, 1-1 > in. long, the 

 seed oblong, %-l in. long, smoothish. Cosmopolitan 

 in the tropics. 



pinnate, Kurz (S. mangifera, Willd.). HOG-PLUM. 

 AMRA. Small tree: Ivs. 12-16 in. long; Ifts. 5-11, 

 ovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, 4-6 in. long, 13-4-3 in. 

 broad, acuminate, entire: panicle 10-14 in. long; fls. 

 whitish : fr. ovoid, yellow-green, 1 J^-2 J^ in. long, the seed 

 oblong-elliptical, f l /y-2 in. long, smoothish. Trop. Asia; 

 according to Hooker, ascending to 5,000 ft. in the 

 Himalayas. 



tuberdsa, Arruda. IMBU. UMBV. Low, spreading 

 tree, up to 25 ft. in height, with swollen roots: Ivs. 4j-6 

 in. long; Ifts. 5-9, oblong-ovate, 1-1% in. long, %~l in. 

 broad, sharply acute to acuminate, cordate at base, 

 entire: panicle 4-6 in. long; fls. whitish: fr. ovoid, light 

 yellow, l l /z in. long, the seed oblong-ovate, slightly 

 flattened, M-^in. long, smooth. Brazil. 



Cultivation and uses. 



The Otaheite-apple, S. cytherea, is said to have been 

 introduced to Jamaica in 1782, and again in 1792 by the 

 famous Captain Bligh, who brought the bread-fruit 

 from Tahiti to the West Indies. It has not become 

 popular in Cuba, nor is it very extensively grown on the 

 mainland of tropical America. In south Florida it suc- 

 ceeds well, and fine specimens can be seen at Miami and 

 other points. In California it has not yet fruited, so 

 far as known, and seems to be too tender for successful 

 culture in any but the most favored locations. Some of 

 the early travelers who visited Polynesia spoke of it in 

 very high terms, and more recently it has been recom- 

 mended as worthy of culture by numerous writers. 

 Firminger, however, likens it to a "very bad mango." 

 Probably a great deal depends on the variety. At 

 its best the fruit is the size of a lemon; it is of deep 

 golden yellow color when ripe, aromatic, with a thin but 

 tough skin surrounding the soft, juicy, yellow pulp. 

 The seed is large and oval, furnished with long woody 

 spines over its entire surface. The flavor is sprightly, 

 subacid, aromatic, suggesting the pineapple, but some- 

 times resinous and disagreeable. It is eaten out of 

 hand, and also used to prepare jams and preserves. 



The Spanish plum, S. Mombin, is much more common 

 in tropical America, and occurs in a large number of 

 varieties, some of which are of excellent flavor and qual- 

 ity. others rather inferior. In Cuba, where this fruit is 

 called ciruela, the different varieties are distinguished 

 by the addition of such words as roja (red), amarilla 

 (yellow), and the like. In Brazil the species seems to be 

 little known, but in Mexico and Central America it is 

 widely grown. It is successfully cultivated in south 

 Florida, but so far as known has never fruited in 

 California, though it may be possible to grow it suc- 

 cessfully in favored locations. The tree, which is 

 much smaller than the Otaheite-apple, is deciduous 

 during a portion of the year, as are the other species. 



The fruit is oval, about an inch long, usually purplish 

 red in color, with a bright yellow, very juicy pulp of 

 aromatic, subacid flavor. It is used like the Otaheite- 

 apple. 



The hog-plum, S. lutea, is one of the least esteemed 

 of the genus. Its fruits are slightly larger than those of 

 S. Mombin, but of a rank, pungent flavor which is not 

 especially agreeable. Jumelle says that it makes an 

 excellent refreshing drink. The tree is large and hand- 

 some, and is a conspicuous feature of many Cuban 

 landscapes. S. pinnata, the -hog-plum or amra of India, 

 is scarcely known in America. Indian writers, who do 

 not usually speak highly of it, state that it is used for 

 pickles, preserves, and tarts. Firminger advises using it 

 as a stock for S. cytherea. 



The imbu of Brazil, S. tuberosa, is a little-known 

 species introduced to the United States in 1914 by the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. Previous to this time it 

 seems to have been unknown outside of its native home, 

 but on the dry lands of interior northeastern Brazil 

 (states of Bahia, Pernambuco, and so on) it is exceed- 

 ingly abundant and the fruits are highly esteemed by 

 the natives. Its tuberous roots are an adaptation to 

 arid regions. The fruits are the size of large plums, with 

 a pale yellow skin, soft, juicy pulp and a large, nearly 

 smooth seed. The flavor slightly resembles that of a 

 sweet orange, and is very agreeable. An excellent jelly is 

 made from this species, and also a sweet custard called 

 imbuzada, prepared by mixing the strained and sweet- 

 ened pulp with boiled milk. For eating out of hand it is 

 probably superior to the other species, with the excep- 

 tion of the best varieties of the Spanish plum. 



This genus is of very simple culture. All the species 

 are easily propagated by cuttings of large wood, which, 

 may be set in permanent locations immediately upon 

 removal from the parent tree. Seeds can easily be 

 grown in flats of light soil, covering them to the depth 

 of an inch. They usually germinate within four to 

 six weeks. Most of the species seem adapted to a 

 variety of soils. They can readily be inarched, but 

 this is not often practised in this country because of 

 the ease with which cuttings can be grown. Improve- 

 ment of all the species should be carried on by means 

 of selection. p. \\-. POPEXOE. 



SPORE, a reproductive detached cell of a cryptoga- 

 mous or so-called flower less plant, not containing an 

 embryo as does a seed. Spores are the reproductive 

 bodies of ferns, mosses, club-mosses, liverworts, fungi, 

 and similar plants. They are of interest to the plant- 

 grower mostly as the means of propagating ferns. For 

 description, see Ferns and Fungi; also the articles on 

 3/tWeic, Rust, and Smut, in Vols. Ill, V, VI. For propa- 

 gation by spores, see the discussion under Ferns, page 

 1211, Vol. III. 



SPOROBOLUS (Greek, spora, seed, and battein, to 

 cast forth, referring to the grain readily falling from 

 the spikelet). Gramlnese. DROPSEED. Spikelets 1-fld., 

 awnless, usually small, in narrow or open panicles. 

 About 80 species, chiefly of Temp, and Trop. Amer., of 

 little value. S. cryptdndrus, Gray, a widely distributed 

 annual, is considered a good forage grass; S. Wright- 

 idnus, Munro, SACATON, of the alkali lands of the S. W. 

 and of Mex., and S. airoldes, Ton., an allied species, 

 furnish pasture in alkali flats. S. minutiflorus, Link, 

 a slender annual with minute spikelets in a delicate 

 panicle, is offered as an ornamental by some seedsmen 

 under the name of Agrostis minutiflara. The species 

 are little known horticulturally. A. g_ HITCHCOCK. 



SPRAGUEA (named for Isaac Sprague, of Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., botanical artist, collaborator of Asa 

 Gray). Portulacdcex. Dwarf half-hardy perennial 

 herbs, well adapted to the rockery: Ivs. radical, spatu- 

 late, somewhat fleshy; the cauline minute, alternate: 



