1280 



PEENETTYA 



PERSEA 



wood in summer under glass ; also by means of layers 

 and suckers. Grown chiefly for the ornamental fruit. 



About 25 species from Mexico to the Magellan region, 

 mostly in the mountains and 1 species in Tasmania and 

 New Zealand. Fls. axillary, usually solitary on slender 

 nodding pedicels, rarely in racemes; calyx 5-parted; 

 corolla urceolate, with short 5-lobed limb; stamens 10, 

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

 seeded berry. Allied to Gaultheria, but the calyx not 

 enlarged and rarely fleshy after flowering. 



mucronata, Gaudich. (Arbutus mucronatus, 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 in. across, red in 

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

 B.M. 3093. B.E. 20:1695. L.B.C. 19:1848. Gn. 23:389; 

 59, p. 41. Gt.34, p. 214. G.M. 40:811, M.D.G. 1898:397. 

 Many vars. partly originated by hybridizing with the 

 following species are cult, in English and Dutch nur- 

 series, mostly differing in the color of the fr., which is 

 usually indicated by the name of the var., as, var. alba, 

 atropurpurea, coccinea (F.M. 1879:339), lilacina (F.M. 

 1879: 339 ),nigra, purpurea (F.M. 1879:339), rdsea, san- 

 guinea. Also P. Drummondi, Cummingi, speciosa, 

 floribunda (G.C. II. 18:649 and III. 28:465), belong 

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

 ornamental fruiting shrubs 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. 



angustifolia, Lindl. (P. mucronata, var. angustifolia, 

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

 late to linear-lanceolate, usxially arched backwards, 

 smaller: fls. somewhat smaller, on slender pedicels; 

 anthers twice as long as filaments; style as long as 

 ovary. May, June. Chile. B.R. 26:63. B.M. 3889. 



P. cilidris'Don. Spreading shrub: Ivs. oblong to narrow-ob- 

 long, serrulate, %-l in. long: fls. solitary, ovate, white: fr. 

 almost black. Mexico. P. cilidris, Lindl. G.C. II. 10:89, and 

 III. 28:463, belongs probably to P. furens. P. fur ens, Klotzsch. 

 Upright shrub: Ivs. ovate to ovate-lanceolate, ciliate, to 1% in. 

 long: fls. in axillary, secund, rather dense racemes: fr. brown- 

 ish red. Peru, Chile. B.M. 4920. P. Pentlandii, DC. Similar to 

 P. mucronata, but Ivs. not spiny-tipped: fr. dark purplish blue, 

 with the calyx-lobes fleshy. Venez. to Chile. B.M. 6204. P. 

 phillyrecefolia,DG. Similar to P. mucronata: branches spar- 

 ingly hispid: corolla ovate, pubescent inside; anthers twice as 

 long as filaments. Peru, Chile. P. pilbsa, Don (Arbutus pi- 

 losa, Grab.). Prostrate shrub, with densely hispid branches: 

 Ivs. elliptic-oblong, serrate, to % in. long: fls. ovate, white, 

 solitary. Mexico. B.M. 3177. ALFRED REHDEB. 



PEBOTTIA of a trade catalogue is an error for Par- 

 rotia . 



PERSEA (pre-Linnsean name, ultimately derived 

 from Persia). Lauraceiv. As understood by Bentham 

 & 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 6-parted calyx, no corolla, and 

 stamens 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 stigma. Three 

 species are in the American trade, all being prized for 

 their clean evergreen foliage, and one of them, P. gra- 

 tissima, for its large edible fruit. P. Carolinensis 

 grows naturally as far north as North Carolina, and P. 

 Catesbyana, a shrubby species which is not in the 

 trade, grows naturally in south Florida. 



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

 Carplin6nsis, 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 



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 calyx-lobes equaling the inner, or vcn/ 



nearly so. 



Indica, Spreng. Handsome tree, with elliptic-oblong 

 or lance-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 % in. long: 

 fr. scarcely fleshy. Canary, Madeira and the Azores 

 Islands. Offered by F. Franceschi, Santa Barbara. 



1724. Alligator Pear. Persea gratissima 



gratfssima, Gaertn. f. ALLIGATOR PEAR. AVOCADO 

 PEAR. AQUACATE. MIDSHIPMAN'S BUTTER. Fig. 1724. 

 Native to the American tropics, but now widely distrib- 

 uted: fls. greenish, downy, in dense fascicles which are 

 arranged in leafless panicles: ovary downy, ripening into 

 a large pear-shaped, green or purplish drupe, contain- 

 ing one large seed. B.M. 4580. 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. B. 



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 large quantity of a firm, yel- 

 lowish green pulp, enclosing a single large seed. This 

 fruit is highly esteemed by all classes in the West 

 Indies. The pulp is marrow-like, and is eaten as a 

 salad, usually with the addition of pepper, salt and 

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

 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- 





