DATES OF EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 25 



HAMRAWI. 



The Hamrawi date is a variety of secondary importance in the Khargeh and Dakh- 

 leh Oases, and only a small number of these trees are grown. At El Khargeh it was 

 mentioned that especially fine "agwa" is prepared from them, packed in earthen jars. 



The leaves of this variety are long, with light flexible ribs and rather narrow bases 

 strongly rounded dorsally, and dark colored, as though partaking of the dark red nature 

 shown in the fruit. The spine area is long, one-third to two-fifths of the blade length, 

 the spines short, light, and weak. They pass into very narrow ribbon pinna?. The 

 normal pinnae are 18 to 24 inches long, 1J to 1J inches broad, rather soft in texture. 

 The fruit stalk is short, heavy, and erect, the strands short, the bunch very heavy and 

 compact. 



The fruit is about 2 inches long, 1J inches broad, oblong, with square blocky base 

 and rounding abruptly to a broad obtuse apex. The ripening fruit is nearest to a bril- 

 liant "carmine" (R. I), but ripens to a dull purplish color, nearly black. The dark 

 flesh is very soft and sirupy, richly sweet, keeping but a short time after it is fully ripe. 

 The seed is rather small. 



A date grown in the vicinity of Bedrashen is known by this name, and of it the 

 fellahin give a similar description, but the writer was unable to see it in fruit and is 

 not certain that it is identical. 



HAYANY. 



(Notes taken in the vicinity of Merg and Birket el Hadji.) 



The Hayany date is a tall-growing variety, but its trunks are usually more slender 

 than those of most of the Egyptian dates (PI. II, fig. 1). The leaves are usually about 

 12 feet long and may reach 14 or 15 feet under conditions of abundant moisture and 

 luxuriant growth. The tops are always any and graceful in appearance, though the 

 rib is moderately strong and has taper enough to give a graceful curve at the tip (PI. 

 IX, fig. 1). With the free growth induced by abundant moisture, the leaves may curve 

 strongly outward and downward, even to an appearance of drooping. These leaves 

 have an unusually long petiole, or clear space, between the fibrous sheath and the 

 first spines, which sometimes amounts to 15 or 18 inches. The base is broad and thin, 

 narrowing abruptly to a moderate-sized rib. The spine area is about 30 inches, and 

 the slender, acute spines range in length from 1 inch for the lowest to 7 or 8 inches 

 where they pass into the strikingly long narrow ribbon pinnae, which may be 24 to 36 

 inches or more in length, while they are only one-half or three-fourths of an inch wide. 

 From these the pinnae diminish in length and increase in width until at 9 or 10 feet 

 from the base they are 18 or 20 inches long and If to 1J inches broad, rounding off 

 the end of the blade with a length of 14 to 16 inches. In the lower portion of the rib 

 the lateral faces are narrow, but they become quite broad at from 8 to 10 feet. The 

 lower pinnae and some of the upper spines are contracted near the base into an oval 

 solid "neck " from half an inch to 2 inches in length. While this may occur to a lim- 

 ited extenl in some other varieties, it is a character so far always found occurring in 

 the Hayany. The pinnae are placed so us to form a rather smooth open blade, and 

 the open spacing of the long lower pinnae gives to these tops an airy lightness that is 

 very pleasing. 



The orange-colored fruit stalks are 3 to i Eeet Long, of medium weight, and rather 

 flattened in crose section. The si nun Is (shumrokh) are of medium length and weight, 

 the fruit being home on their outer half. 



Th<; compact hunches of brilliantly colored fruit, hanging like huge tassels below 

 the v.i-e- taped crown, make a grove of these trees a very striking sight-. Iii the 



I region the lushing of the fruit, stalks to the bases of adjacent, leaves to prevent 

 the thrashing of the bunch in the gales is a cultural practice which is illustrated in 

 Plate IX, figure 2. The fruits are 2 to 2 J inches long and 1 to If, inches broad, the 

 broadest portion being usually a little below the middle; somo fruits are often a little 



