IMPORTANCE OF PLANT INTRODUCTION 



77 



Blennodia lasiocarpa, F. Muell. Hairy-podded Cress. 

 Cruciferae. Annual, 1 to IJ feet high, covered with pubes- 

 cence. Pod hairy. Peculiar to the Darling river, sandy 

 plains near the Murray river, and generally over the arid 

 plains of Australia. Makes its growth during the hottest 

 part of the year. Valuable for forage. Reference : For- 

 age Plants of Australia, p. 4. Introduced by J. H. Maiden, 

 Sydney Botanic Garden, March 1, 1904. 



C(Bsalpinia hreirifolia, Baill. Algarobillo. Leguminosae. 

 Prom Santiago, Chile. Received through Messrs. Lathrop 

 and Fairchild, July, 1899. A desert shrub from the region 

 about Huasco, growing where often no rains fall for an 

 entire year. The shrub produces an abundance of small 

 pods that are remarkably rich in tannin. The industry of 

 their export has been very profitable in Huasco, and it 

 has been proposed to cultivate the shrub in other sections 

 of Chile. At present only wild plants furnish the pods of 

 commerce. This is a shrub eminently suited to Califomian 

 desert conditions, and should be tested in Arizona. as well. 

 It may be expected to bear fruit in four years. The seeds 

 should be taken from the pods, carefully sown in the open 

 ground, and covered with about three-fourths of an inch 

 of soil. Care should be exercised to give them only a little 

 water. The plants could be potted and transplanted, but 

 the better way would be to try a few in the open ground. 

 This is worthy of serious attention. The amount of tannin 

 borne by the pods is very great, and it is said that they 

 contain a valuable coloring matter as well. 



C(Bsalpinia eoriaria, Willd. Divi-divi. Leguminosse. 

 From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, 

 March, 1899. A small leguminous tree 20 to 30 feet high, 

 from the West Indies to Brazil. The pods contain a high 

 percentage of tannin and are largely exported to Europe. 

 The tree thrives only on the seashore or in salt marshes. 

 For trial along the Florida coast and in the tropical pos- 

 sessions. 



Capparis inermis, Forsk. Spineless Caper. Capparideae. 

 From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, March, 

 1899. Caprier sans epine, an improved variety of the 

 caper. The buds are much easier to gather than those of 

 the ordinary spiny sort. This variety is said to come true 

 from seed. 



Carica heterophylla, Poep. and Endl. Jarrilla. Passi- 

 floracesB. From Celaya, Mexico. Presented by Prof. Felix 

 Foex. Received December 10, 1900. A curious fruit, 

 being drunk as one would swallow a raw egg, and not 

 eaten. The name is Jarrilla, or " little pitcher," because it 

 is shaped like a pit.cher and is always full of water. The 

 water contained in it is fresh and slightly acid, resembling 

 lemon juice. When the fruit is taken from' the plant it 

 acquires in a few days a bitter taste, something like lemon 

 peel, but without its aroma. The plant is a perennial, half 

 climber, and grows wild on the hills around Celaya. 



Centaurea Jacea, Linn. "Jacge des pr6s." "Chevalon.'' 

 Meadow Knapweed. Compositse. From France. Received 

 through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. Perennial ; a 

 plant for aftermath in elevated meadows, suitable to enter 

 into natural and artificial mixtures. Its presence among 

 the herbage is considered an indication of good quality. 

 The stem and leaves contain a yellow coloring matter. 

 Under this name several species and varieties closely 

 related to it and having nearly the same qualities are fre- 

 quently confounded in commerce and cultivation. 



Chloris virgata, Sw. Rhodes Grass. Gramineae. From 

 Cape Town, South Africa. Received through Messrs. La- 

 throp and Fairchild, May 6, 1903. A species of pasture 

 grass that, although scattered widely through the tropics 

 of both hemispheres (according to the books), has probably 

 not before been brought into culture. Mr. Cecil Rhodes 

 had the seed of this plant collected several years ago and 

 sown in large patches on his place near Cape Town, called 

 " Groote Schur." The grass has done well there, forming 

 heavy sods of a good herbage. This does not seem to be a 



drought-resistant form ; at least, it is not able to with- 

 stand very severe dry weather. However, a grass which 

 has attracted the attention of so keen a cultivator as Mr. 

 Rhodes and is meeting with favorable comment from 

 many practical men at the Cape deserves a thorough trial 

 in America. 



Diplachne fusca, Beauv. Swamp Grass. Gramineae. 

 From Coolabah, New South Wales. Presented by Mr. R. 

 W. Peacock, August 3, 1900. This annual grass grows 

 plentifully in damp and swampy places and is worth culti- 

 vating on low-lying waste lands. It makes desirable hay 

 and ensilage. The plant produces an abundance of seeds 

 which ripen late in the winter. 



Eueommia ulmoides, Oliver. Trochodendraceae. From 

 London, England. Purchased from Messrs. James Veitch 

 & Sons, Ltd., November 25, 1904. At one time much 

 spoken of as a possible new source of rubber. Its leaves 

 contain a substance similar to India rubber, but as yet no 

 large quantity has been experimented with. For experi- 

 mental plantings in the South. China. 



Eutrema hedercefolia, Franch & Sav. Dry-land wasabi. 

 Cruciferae. Prom Yokohama, Japan. Presented by Mr. 

 H. Suzuki, of the Yokohama Nursery Company, through 

 Mr. David Fairchild. Received April 18, 1904. This d^- 

 land wasabi, or Japanese horse-radish, is said to grow well 

 in shade, but, being native of the central part of Japan, 

 might not resist our climate. It seems much easier of 

 cultivation than the ordinary wasabi (Eutrema Wasabi), 

 though it will take some years before it grows to the size 

 of ordinary wasabi roots ; but, as the leaves have a very 

 good flavor, it is said to be eaten by the natives as one 

 of the best kinds of 

 spice. Wild ; not in culti- 

 vation yet. 



Eutrema Wasabi, 

 Maxim. Japanese horse- 

 radish. Cruciferae. (Fig. 

 102.) From Yokohama, 

 Japan. Presented b y 

 Messrs. Lathrop and Fair- 

 child. Received December 

 7, 1903. The wasabi takes 

 the same place in Japan 

 that the horseradish does 

 in America, furnishing, 

 when served at the table, 

 a delicate, light green 

 condiment, with a sharp, 

 agreeable, pungent flavor, 

 in some respects superior 

 to horse-radish. The plant 

 is cultivated in mountain 

 valleys, in springy land 

 where there is an abun- 

 dant supply of moisture. 

 Half shade is given. The 

 method of cultivation is 

 described in Bulletin No. 

 42, Bureau ef Plant In- 

 dustry, Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Festuca pabularis, Sodiro. Gramineae. From Quito, 

 Ecuador. Presented by Mr. Luis Sodiro, S. J., a botanist 

 and student of Ecuador agriculture, through Mr. David 

 Fairchild. Received May 25, 1904. Mr. Sodiro remarks 

 that this is one of the most remarkable forage grasses of 

 the mountain region of Ecuador. It is likely to prove of 

 value in certain parts of this country. 



Garcinia Celebiea, Linn. Guttiferae. Prom Buitenzorg, 

 Java, Dutch East Indies. Received from Dr. Treub, Sep- 

 tember 28, 1904. Designed for use as a stock on which 

 to graft the mangosteen, or for breeding purposes. 



Garcinia Cochinchinensis, Choisy. Guttiferae. Prom 



Japanese horseradish or 

 wasabi (Eutrema Wasabi). 

 Served with every fish dinner 

 in Japan, 



