NUTS 



NUTS 



2303 



4 inches across, which is said to be automatically thrown off with a 

 sharp sound, by the contraction of the capsule at niaturity. As 

 the weight, which at that time must be from tive to eight pounds, 

 has caused the capsule to assume an inverted position, the nuts are 

 scattered upon the ground. The scramble which follows of the 

 monkeys and other small animals of the forest, to be first upon the 

 scene for the nuts, has given this capsule the name of "monkey- 

 pot," and the group of closely related species having similar cap- 

 sules the name of the "monkey-pot group." 



These species are native to much the same districts of South 

 America as is the Brazil-nut. 



Litchi chinensis (Nephelium Litchi). Litchi. Litschi. Lic^ii. 

 Leechee. Litchee. Chinese-Nut. Chinese Hazel. Dawa-Nut. 

 Sapindace^. A brown-colored, warty appearing fruit, in size and 

 form resembling that of a strawberry, with an outer thin, papery 

 shell, within which is a central smooth hard-shelled seed, sur- 

 rounded by a brownish pulp of a delicious, subacid flavor. The 

 fruit of a low-growing, tender tree, native to China. Under test for 

 Bome years in Florida and in California. 



Macadamia ternifolia. Queensland-Nut. Australian Hazel- 

 Nut. Australian-Nut. Proteacex. A globular smooth-surfaced 

 nut, of a light, yellowish brown color, 1 inch or less in diameter, 

 with a very hard, rather thick shell, within which is a single kernel, 

 resembling in form that of a hazel, to which it is greatly superior in 

 richness and flavor. The fruit of an evergreen tree from Australia. 

 There are a few trees of this species in California. Fig. 2241. 



Manketti nuts. Mentioned in the "Daily Consular and Trade 

 Keports," October 23. 1912, as haWng comprised a trial shipment 

 of 22,500 pounds, which had recently been made to Europe from 

 German southwest Africa, with a view to testing their commer- 

 cial value. The nuts were said to have been gathered from wild trees 

 in the neighborhood of Tsumed. According to this report, "It is 

 Baid that the natives and bushmen eat the fruit without any ill 

 effects." Efforts to find reference to the name "manketti" in 

 botanical works have thus far met with failure. It is suspected, 

 however, that the article from which this citation was taken had 

 reference to the palm-nut, EUeis guineensis. 



Mauritia fleiuosa. Miriti- (Me-rish-i-e), Ita- (I-te) Palm-, or 

 BuRiTi-NuT. Palmacex. The wine-colored seed, with flattened 

 ends, of a lofty tropical American palm. This seed, which is about 

 equal in size to that of the Persian walnut, is covered with very 

 regular, close-fitting scales, underneath which is a tough shell, on- 

 casing a single ivory-like, globular, and farinaceous kernel about 

 1 inch in diameter. Much used as a food by the natives. 



Moringa oleifera (M. pterygosperma) . Ben-Nut. Moringacex. 

 The seeds of a species of small tree native to tropical Asia, from 

 which is expressed the ben-nut oil. largely used in the manufacture 

 of perfumery. Seeds small, papery white, winged, triangular and 

 resembUng buckwheat grains in form. Figs. 2387, 2388. 



Nelumbo lutea. Nelumbo. Nelumbium. American Lotus. 

 Water Chinquapin. Water-Nut. R.\ttle-Nut. Nymphseacex. 

 The small dark blue, nearly spherical seed of the American lotus 

 or great water lily. About H inch in diameter, with smooth surface 

 and a strong shell, within which is an edible kernel. Nelumbo 

 nucifera is eaten in China as a nut. 



Ophiocaryon paradoxum. Snake-Nut of Guiana. Sabiacese. 

 Described by Fidler, viz.: "A large, roundish fruit, about the size 

 of a black walnut, the product of a large tree of the soapberry 

 family, native of British Guiana. This nut takes its name of 

 'snake-nut' from the peculiar form of the embryo of the seed, which 

 is curled up spirally. 



"The Indians, thinking there must be some virtue in form, 

 use these nuts as an antidote for snake-bites, although so far aa 

 known to science they do not possess any medicinal properties." 



Panax trifolium. Ground-Nut. ATcdiacese. The globose, pun- 

 gent-tasting nut of the dwarf ginseng of the northern states. Of 

 about the size of a radish. 



Parkia africana. Nitta- or Nutta-Nut. Leguminosse. Edible 

 Beeds, borne within the long clustered pods of the African locust 

 tree. The pods, containing a sweetish farinaceous pulp within 

 which the seeds are imbedded, are eaten entire, as is the carob or 

 St. John's bread. 



Pasania cornea. Edible Acorn. Fagaceae. The seed of an ever- 

 green tree of China, closely related to the oak. Now being tried out 

 in this country by the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Intro- 

 duction, which says regarding it: "The nuts are as thick-walled as 

 hickory-nuts; the kernels are white and of characteristic shape, 

 and have a sweet, very agreeable flavor. In China, they are sold 

 on the markets as are chestnuts here." 



The nuts are very broad in proportion to their length, presenting 

 a flattish appearance. 



Pasania cuspidata. Edible Acorn. Fagacese. Described by 

 the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, by which it is 

 being tested in this country, with stock from a Yokohama nursery, 

 as being "A small acorn, edible and sweet, when ripe or after frost, 

 boiled or roasted." From Formosa, Korea, and milder parts of 

 China. 



Phytelephas Seemannii. Ivory-, Tagua-, Taqua-, or Vege- 

 table Ivokv-Xut. Negro's-Head. Patmaceo!. The rounded, 

 somewhat wedge-shaped seeds, or nuts of a low-growing reclining 

 Central American palm, which in size and form greatly resemble 

 very large chestnuts. Each nut is covered with a smooth, thin but 

 strong flhell of a light yellowish color, mottled with brown. The 

 flesh is solid, pure white or creamy white, and capable of taking a 

 very high polish. When cut or turned, they are used as a substitute 

 for ivory in the manufacture of buttons, toys, and various kinds of 

 ornamental work. 



These seeds are borne in large compound chambers compactly 

 joined together into heads a foot or more in diameter and covered 

 with a sharp thorny surface, of a gray color. Each chamber con- 

 tains from four to nine of the nuts, each of which is encased within 

 its own shell. 



The manufacturing of useful articles from ivory-nuts for the 

 household is a very important industry in Germany, Hamburg 

 being one of the chief centers. 



Pinus spp. Pine-Nut. Indian-Nut. Pinon (Pin-yon). 

 PiGNOLiA. Piqnon. Pinaccx. The seeds of a considerable number 

 of both foreign and American pines having rich, edible kernels 

 which form an important article of food in many sections where 

 the species are indigenous. Probably the largest of edible pine 

 seeds are those of the Araucarian pines of Chile, of which there arc 

 several species. Not infrequently, seeds of these pines exceed 2 

 inches in length. 



Of commonest appearance in our American markets are the 

 seeds of the stone pine, P. Pinea, of southern Europe, which are 

 sold under the names of "pignolia," or "pine-nuts," and to an 

 increasing extent under the Mexican name "pinon," which originally 

 was applied only to the seeds of certain American pines of the 

 Southwest. As marketed, these nuts usually appear without the 

 shells, in which condition they greatly resemble puffed rice. 



Although some 12 or 15 species of American pines yield edible 

 nuts, their product is seldom seen in any but the western markets, 

 as it is largely consumed locally by the Indians of the Southwest 

 and the Mexicans. These nuts are known as "pifions, ""pine-nuts." 

 and "Indian-nuts." 



While none of the seeds of the American group are large, they 

 vary greatly in size, form, and color. In flavor of kernel they are 

 much alike. Usually they are irregular in form, longer than thick, 

 sometimes slender but generally of about the same diameter each 

 way. They range from Js to J-g inch in length. In color they 

 run from a light yellow, on one side at the basal end, to a brownish 

 black at the opposite end, with a coffee-brown probably pre- 

 dominating. 



The following list includes the names of the more important 

 pines which bear edible nuts: Araucaria braziliana, Chile; A. imbri- 

 cata, monkey puzzle, Chile; Pinus albicaulis, white bark pine, 

 western United States; P. cembroides, Arizona pifion, southwestern 

 United States; P. Coulteri, big-cone or Coulter's pine, western 

 United States; P. edulis, pifion, southwestern United States; P. 

 Jeffreyi, black pine, western llnited States; P. Lambertiana, sugar, 

 shade, gigantic, or purple-coned pine, western United States; P. 

 monophylla, single-leaf, or gray pine, western United States; P. 

 manticola, mountain, finger-cone, or western white pine, western 

 United States; P. Parryana, Parry's pine, or Mexican pinon, 

 western Mexico; P. Pinea, stone pine, seeds called pine-nuts, 

 pignolia, pifion, and pignon, southern Europe; P. Sabiniana, 

 digger or gray-leaf pine, western United States; P. Torreyajia, 

 Torrey, Soledad, or Delmar pine, southern California. 



Pistacia vera. Pistache. Pistachio-Nut. Green Almond. 

 FisTicHE. Anacardiacese. Fig. 2539. A small nut about ^i inch 

 long and slightly more than half as thick, which usually appears 

 in the market with its thin, brittle shell partially split open, and 

 with its kernel having a distinct salty taste. This is the seed of a 

 Syrian tree which has been split open while maturing and which 

 later has been roasted and salted. Tj-pical kernels are of a distinct 

 greenish color throughout and have a mild agreeable flavor. When 

 ground, these kernels are used to a very large extent to afford the 

 color and flavor of certain confections, especially ice-cream. 



Trees of P. vera are fairly common in nut orchards of interior 

 southern California, New Mexico and western Texas. 



Pninus Amygdalus. Almond. Rosacex. Familiar products in 

 all nut markets. To a considerable extent the form of the almond 

 resembles that of an oyster-shell, although there is a very great 

 variation in the length and width of the nuts of different varieties. 

 Some are long and narrow, others short and thick, while still others 

 range between. The shells of some are very thin, breaking readily 

 when crushed together with one hand. These are called paper-shells. 

 Others, called hardshells, require a sharp blow with a hammer for 

 cracking. Almonds ranging between the hard and the paper-shells 

 are called soft-shells. As they appear in the markets, almonds usu- 

 ally are of a uniform light yellowish color, which has been given 

 them by artificial bleaching. The normal color is of a rather dull 

 yellow, or as in the case of the hardshells, a brown closely resembhng 

 that of a peach pit. 



At present the almond is the third most important nut crop m 

 the United States, the first being that of the Persian or English 

 walnut, and the second, the pecan. The entire output from this 

 country is produced from beyond the Rocky Mountains, mainly 

 from the Sacramento Valley of California. 



Pterocarya fraxinifolia. Winged Walnut. Caucasian Wal- 

 nut. Juglnndaceae. Small, angular, winged seeds, having hard 

 shells, of a tree, native to western Asia. Of no economic impor- 

 tance. This and several other species of Pterocarya are employed 

 to a considerable extent as ornamentals in the milder portions of 

 temperate America. 



Pycoocoma macrophylla. Bomah-Nut. Boma. Bome. Euphor- 

 biacex. The seed of an African shrub used in tanning, and which 

 yields a fixed oil. 



Pyrularia pubera. Buffalo-Nut. OiltNut. Elk-Nut. San- 

 talacex. The small seed of a pear-shaped drupe, which is the fruit 

 of an eastern American shrub native from Pennsylvania to Georgia. 

 About 1 inch long, subglobose, thin-shelled, and containing a 

 kernel rich in oil and of a strong acid flavor. Without economic 

 value. 



Sapium sebiferum (Stillingia sebifera). Tallow-Nut. Chi- 

 nese Tallow-Nut. Euphorbiacese. ' The whitish colored fruits. 



