34 BULLETIN 445, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



cies may prove valuable, however, as a wet-land stock for the cheri- 

 moya or for breeding purposes. 



THE IMBtj. 



Among the drought-resistant plants of the caatinga or semiarid 

 section of interior Bahia, the imbii {Spondias tuberosa Arruda) is of 

 particular interest. It is abundant and highly appreciated, not only 

 in the interior of Bahia State, but also in Pernambuco and other 

 sections of northeastern Brazil. To^ the natives it is a most important 

 article of diet, taking the place of the cultivated fruits which are so 

 common around the city of Bahia, but in the interior found only 

 in the gardens of the better classes. During the ripening season 

 imbiis may be had for the gathering. Natives go out from every 

 village into the surrounding caatinga, often to a distance of several 

 miles, and bring in bushels of the fruit on their burros or diminutive 

 ponies, consuming much of it immediately, but not forgetting to 

 store away an abundance in the form of jam or jelly for the time 

 to come when the imbii can not be obtained. In all the towns and 

 villages along the Rio Sao Francisco, in Bahia State, imbus are 

 plentiful in the markets, and the ground around the market places 

 is often literally covered with the skins and seeds. A basket con- 

 taining a quarter peck or more of the fruit can usually be purchased 

 for 2 or 3 cents. 



The imbu tree (PI. XXI) is distinguishable from other growths 

 on the caatinga by its low, spreading head, sometimes 30 feet in diam- 

 eter. Its fruit is produced on slender stems, mainly toward the ends 

 of the branches. Some trees are so productive that the fruit, when 

 allowed to fall, forms a carpet of yellow upon the ground. 



In general appearance the imbu (PL XXII) may be likened to a 

 greengage plum. It is oval, about an inch and a half in length, slightly 

 less in breadth, and light greenish yellow when ripe. The skin is 

 somewhat thicker than that of a plum, with the result that it is not 

 eaten along with the pulp. The flavor of the soft, melting, almost 

 liquid pulp is suggestive of a sweet orange. It is frequently eaten 

 before fully ripe and soft, when it is rather acid, though not dis- 

 agreeably so. The seed, oblong and about three-fourths of an inch 

 in length, is difficult to separate from the inner pulp which ad- 

 heres to it. 



The natives of the interior will often tell one that there are several 

 varieties of the imbu, one being round, another oblong, and so on. The 

 fact is that seedling variation results in the fruit of every tree being 

 different from its neighbors in some minor characteristic of size, 

 form, or flavor. No doubt the fruit could be greatly improved by 

 selection, even in a few generations. 



