KEY TO THE VARIETIES. 103 



INTERMEDIATE SOFT DATES. 



Obovate Intermediate Soft Dates, 



Fruit 42.5 to 45 mm. long, square at base, rounded at apex, bright orange before 

 maturity, becoming very dark (almost black) brown purple when ripe; 

 flesh about 3 mm. thick, very dark colored and very soft, fruit keeping 

 its shape poorly when ripe ; seed 20 to 24 mm. long, two-fifths to one-half 

 as wide, rounded at both ends, the ventral channel rather wide, open; 

 giant cells extremely variable in shape and size, mostly sharp angled and 

 even pointed, triangular or quadrangular in outline, orange rufous (IV, 

 13) in color; branches of the fruit clusters deep orange. 



Bent Segny (p. 87). 



Fruit maroon (IV, 2) or bay (IV, 5) when ripe; giant cells fairly uniform in 

 ;<hape and size, not pointed or triangular. 



Fruit 40 to .'i2.it mm. long, tapering slightly at both ends, extremely soft, not 

 Jceeping its shape when preserved, bright bay (IV, 5) when ripe, skin 

 where loose saffron colored (VI, 4) ; flesh about 3 mm. thick, translucent, 

 light colored ; seed 24 to 20 mm. long, about one-third as wide, the ventral 

 channel open; giant cells all rounded, mostly spherical but a few ellip- 

 tical, none more than twice as long as wide, mostly much smaller than 

 in Bent Segny, orange rufous (IV, 13) in color Deglet Hassen (p. 92). 



Fruit not exceeding Jfi mm. long, moderately soft, keeping its shape fairly well 

 when preserved; giant cells many of them angular. 



Fruit very dark colored (between prune purple (VIII, 1) and brown) when 

 ripe, 30 to 38 mm. long, generally obovate or obovate oblong, square at 

 base, rounded at apex; skin where loose burnt umber (III, 8) color; 

 flesh 2 to 3 mm. thick, very soft and dark colored; fibrous lining of the 

 central cavity well developed ; seed about two-thirds as long as the fruit, 

 about two-fifths as wide as long, blunt at both ends, mars brown (III, 13) 

 in color, the ventral channel open, the germ pore very indistinct; giant 

 cells chiefly spherical or short elliptical but many quadrangular with 

 rounded angles, feiu of them more than one and one-half times as long 

 as ivide, tawny (V. 1) in color; branches of the fruit clusters orange 

 (VI, 3) Ammarya (p. 88). 



Fruit bay (IV, 5) or maroon (IV, 2) when ripe; giant cells all or nearly all 

 angular, mostly not longer than wide, almost never more than one and 

 one-half times as long as wide. 



Fruit about 40 mm. long; seed averaging 25 mm. long, about one- third as wide. 

 the ventral channel wide, open, the germ pore near the base; flesh about 

 3 mm. thick ; giant cells mostly angular but many spherical, the great 

 majority not longer than wide (i to J as large as in Deglet Hassen), 

 orange ochraceous (V, 3) in color; branches of the fruit clusters bright 

 orange Goondy (p. 88). 



Fruit 35 to 37.5 mm. long ; flesh about 3 mm. thick ; seed averaging 20 mm. long, 

 about two-fifths as wide, the ventral channel, narrow but open; giant cells 

 all more or less angular, (about twice as large as in Goondy), ochraceous 

 (V, 7) in color; branches of the fruit clusters orange Zekry (p. 81). 



Ovate Intermediate Soft Dates. 



Firm, white central portion of the flesh at least twice as thick as the soft, dark- 

 colored outer portion Kenta.b 



Firm white central portion of the flesh not nearly so thick as the soft, dark- 

 colored outer portion. 



White fibrous lining of the central cavity little developed; fruit 35 to 50 mm. 

 long, narrowed from, about the middle to the rounded apex and often 



a Description drawn up from material from Tempe, Ariz., garden, from a palm 

 originally from Ourlana, Algeria. 



& This variety (as well as the Angoo, p. 97) belongs evidently to the dry 

 date class, and is described on p. 97; but, on account of its smooth, very loose 

 skin (narrow transverse wrinkles few or none), it is likely to be sought in this 

 part of the key. 



92 



