THE CYPHOMANDRA. 243 



They set in the summer when the house was thrown 

 open, but I suspect that the flowers are self-fertile. The 

 fruits measure almost uniformly 2 inches long and \ l /z 

 inches wide. The color when ripe is a light, clear, red- 

 dish brown, shading into dull olive-green towards the 

 stem, and sparingly streaked with olive-green. In ex- 

 ternal features the fruits strongly resemble small speci- 

 mens of pepino. The fruit is two-celled, like a small 

 tomato, and has numerous tomato-like seeds on central 

 placentae. The flavor is a musky acidity, not very un- 

 like that of some tomatoes. Theodosia B. Shepherd, of 

 southern California, writes in American Gardening for 

 July ii, 1896 (and gives a picture), as follows, of the 

 quality of the fruit, which, she says, is sometimes called 

 Brazilian Melon Fruit: "When fully ripe, it is deli- 

 cious. When the outer rind is taken off, and it is sliced, 

 it can be served as a salad, with dressing, or eaten with 

 sugar and cream. It makes a fine jelly or jam, with the 

 flavor of apricots, but more delicate. The ripe fruit does 

 not bruise easily, because of the thick outer rind, so 

 that it keeps a long time, and can be shipped long dis- 

 tances." 



The leaves of this cyphomandra are large and heavy, 

 heart-shaped, and perfectly entire. The plant has a trop- 

 ical look, and a well-grown plant is always sure to attract 

 attention. The plant is much loved of the mealy-bug, but 

 we have found no fungi attacking it. We do not know 

 what forcing temperature best suits this plant, but I 

 imagine that it likes a cooler place than tomatoes do. 



The cyphomandra fruit is sometimes seen in the New 

 York markets, coming from Jamaica, and is often called 

 Grenadilla. In the tropics, the fruit is eaten either raw or 

 cooked, after the manner of tomatoes. The plant there 

 attains a height of 10 or 12 feet. In Spanish America it 

 is said to be known as tomato de la Paz. The plant is 

 a native of South America, it having been introduced into 

 British gardens from southern Brazil by Tweedie, who 

 17 FORC. 



