and SI 



PERNETTYA 



,l..rfflass: also 



of 1 



At" '11 1 ' ' - iH '1. - 1 1 ^^ .i.o iM Ml.' ^Magellan region, 



mostli li I - ill Tasmania and 



New / . I I I ■ I litaryon slender 



nodilin::- [.( . I :r. I - . r.i i M \ in riii'iim-; calyx 5-parted; 

 corolla urccolate, with .short o-lubed limb; stamens 30, 

 the anthers 4-awned at the apex: fr. a 5-celled many- 

 seeded berry. Allied to Gaultberia, but the calyx not 

 enlarged and rarely fleshy after flowering. 



mucTOn&ta, Gaudich. (Arbutus mucrondtus, Linn. f.). 

 Much-branched shrub, to 2 ft., with glabrous or spar- 

 ingly hairy branches: Ivs. almost two-ranked, ovate, 

 spiny-pointed, serrate, dark green and shining above, 

 glabrous, %-% in. long: fls. solitary, nodding, subglo- 

 bose, white or slightly tinged pink, about one-fifth in. 

 long: fr. white to dark purple, J^-H in. across, red in 

 the typical form. Mav, June. Magellan region to Chile. 

 B.M. 3093. B.R. 20:1095. L.B.C. 1!1:1K4K. Gn. 23:389; 

 59, p. 41. Gt.34,p.2U. G.M.40:SI1. M.D.i;. lsi)8:397. 

 —Many vars. partly originatecl hy li\ luiili/in- with the 

 following species are cult, in lOnuh'-li :iiii| Hutch nur- 

 series, mostly differing in the ciilni- of tlic I]-., which is 

 usually indicati'd l.y the iiaiii.. of the var., as. var. 41ba, 

 atropurpilrea, coccinea (!•'.. 'M. ls7'.i::i:i!l), lilaclna (P.M. 

 1879:;!.!;i), nigra, purpurea (F.^1. ls7'J::i:!'.i), rosea, san- 

 guinea. Also /'. Driimnmudi, Ciimiiiiinii. t:iitrinx<i, 

 floribunda (U.C. II. 18:049 and III. 28:405), belong 

 here. P. mucronata and its vars. are among our most 

 ornamental fruiting shruhs in winter-time, when they 

 are loaded with bright-colored berries contrasting well 

 with the dark glossy foliage; they are also very hand- 

 some in spring when covered with their numerous white 

 flowers. 



an&UBtiJdlia, Lindl. (P. mucronita, var. atigustifdlia, 

 Nichols.). Closely allied to the preeediug: Ivs. lanceo- 

 late to hnear Unccolate, usunlly aiched bukwuds 

 smiUei fls &ome\\hat smilkr, on slender jii du lK 

 antheis twice as lung as hliiuents st>le is lon^ as 

 ov\i) May, June Chile BR 20 (.S BM Ibsq 



P cilians Don Spreading shrub Ivs oblong to nirrow ob 

 long serruUte 3^-1 in long fls solitaiy f\atc white fi 

 ilmost black MexJCO — P nharis Lindl tr ( II 10 81 and 

 mts liroh ihly to P furens — P fuieni Klotzsch 

 1 r^ itc to ovate lanceolate cihite to li^ in 

 1 Old r ither dense racemes fr brown 



I M V)20 -P Pcntlandii DC feimdarto 

 I t spin> tipped fr d Ilk purplish blue 

 1|^ "\ nez to Chile P M 6204 — P 

 1 T t P mucronata br inches spai 



I I nt inside anthers twice as 



/ pildsa Don (Aibutus pi 

 I itli densely hispid branches 



I 1 in long fls o^ ate white 

 J ^' i Alfped Rehder 



•or for Pa> 



III 28 401 



Upri„ht ii 



PEEOTTIA of 1 tnde catalogue is 

 rot, a 



PEKSfiA (pre-Linnsean name, ultimately derived 

 from Persia). Lauriicete. As understood by Bentham ' 

 tfc Hooker, Persea contains about 100 species, but Meiss- 

 ner (DC. Prodr. 15, pt. 1, 43) distributes some of the 

 species in other genera, and retains only 50 in Persea. 

 The Perseas are trees or shrubs of the tropics or warm- 

 temperate parts of America and the Old World, with 

 thick alternate leaves and small white or greenish flow- 

 ers, mostly in panicled fascicles; the flowers are usu- 

 ally perfect, with deeply G-parted calyx, no corolla, and 

 stameus usually 12 in 4 series, but one series sterile. 

 The pistil is single, the ovary being sessile and taper- 

 ing- into a style which bears a disk-like stifjuKi. Three 

 species are in the American trade, all biin^' \<ym-i\ for 

 their clean evergreen foliage, and one of thiiii. /*. 'jru- 

 tissima, for its large edible fruit. 1'. di nili miisix 

 grows naturally as far north as North Cnrulina, and 1'. 

 Catesbyana, a shrubby species which is not in the 

 trade, grows naturally in south Florida. 



i. Outer calyx-lobes distinctly sJiorter than the inner. 

 Carolin^nsis, Nees. Red Bat. Bull Bay. Tree, 

 reaching 40 ft., with smoothish branches: Ivs. 2-3 in. 

 long, oblong to lance-oblong, glabrous and deep green 

 above, glaucous beneath: fls. pubescent, the peduncles 



PERSEA 



of the clusters shorter than the petioles: fr. a small, 

 blue drupe. Woods, N. Car. to Fla.-A handsome ever- 

 green, with wood useful for cabinet work and other 

 purposes. 

 AA. Outer cahjx-lobes equaling the inner, or veri/ 

 nearly so. 

 Indica, Spreng. Handsome tree, with elliptic-oblong 

 or lance oblong attenuate acute glabrous h s 3-8 in 

 long: panicle I-O m long, the peduncles compressed 

 and the brant h( s - fl 1 the fls ^\liite and ^4 m long 

 fr. scarcih tl sin ( man, Madeira and the Azores 

 I^ands — ()ft I I I \ 1 I lanceschi, Santa Barbara 



1724 Alhgator Pear Persea gratissima ( ' 1 



gxatissima Gacrtn f Allk ator Pe\r A\oi\do 

 Peak Ac^uac ^tl Midshii man s Butter Jig 1724 

 Native to the Amcrifin tioiuc s but now -nidelj disfiib 

 uted fls gieenish down} in dense fascicles whic h aio 

 arranged m leafless panicles o\aiydown), riiieningmto 

 a large pear shaped, green 01 purplish diupe, contain 

 ing one large seed. B.M. 4.'-)80. B.R. 15:1258. I.H. 

 36:75.— Offered in southern Florida and southern Cali- 

 fornia. The fruit is occasionally seen in northern 

 markets. In Southern California and Mexico the fruit 

 is common in the markets. It is grown to a small ex- 

 tent as far north as Los Angeles, but it requires a 

 hotter climate to render the fruit certain and palatable. 

 It will thrive in climates to which Anonas are adapted. 

 L. H. E. 



The Avocado, or Alligator Pear, is a native of the 

 West Indies, Mexico to Peru and Brazil. It is very 

 common in Jamaica, being found in every settlement or 

 plantation. The tree grows to a height of 25 to 30 ft. ; 

 it has elliptical or elliptical-oblong leaves, 4-7 in. long, 

 glabrate and pale beneath; the fruits are large, more or 

 less pear-shaped, and covered with a green or deep pur- 

 ple skin, and containing a. liiri'e ipiantitv of a firm, yel- 

 lowish green pulp, enelos ill.' .1 Mmli l.u izc seed. This 

 fruit is highly esteemc.l 1 . 1 I , . - in the West 

 Indies. The pulp is man 1 1 is eaten as a 



salad, usually with the ail. hi in -t 1 1 iiper, salt and 

 vinegar. Europeans as a rule do not like the fruit nt 

 first, but once the taste is acquired they become ex- 

 ceedingly, often excessively, fond of it. The pulp con- 

 tains an abundance of oil which may be used for illu- 



