238 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
The fact that the root is perennial will make it possible to grow the chayote, 
with slight protection, wherever the ground does not freeze. It seems to have 
originated in an elevated region and does not thrive as well at sea level in the 
Tropics as in the mountains or subtropical regions. The vine, which suggests that 
of the cucumber, is vigorous and fairly hardy, and is not known to suffer from the 
attacks of insects or parasitic fungi, so that the chayote may be considered a 
particularly reliable crop, in view of the utility of both the fruit and the root. 
Of the value of the chayote for food purposes very different opinions have been 
expressed, some writers reporting it as insipid and scarcely edible, while others 
have compared it with the vegetable marrow and pronounced it superior. Those 
who are fond of summer squashes will probably have no difficulty with the chay- 
ote, and may prefer it on account of its better texture and more delicate flavor. 
Although firmer than the squash, the flesh is not tough or fibrous, and eaten 
simply with salt and pepper the chayote is an agreeable vegetable. 
The question whether the chayote may not have a future as an article of export 
to temperate regions naturally suggests itself. It is not likely that competition 
with temperate vegetables will arise, but, on the other hand, it seems entirely 
probable that in the winter and spring the chayote would find sale at least in our 
city markets when once it had become known to the American public. The plant 
is not only perennial, but ever-bearing, and in connection with a fruit trade or 
other regular means of communication the shipment of chayotes at the proper 
season might be found advantageous. At the time of our visit it seemed to rank 
among the more important of the fresh vegetables for sale in the markets of Porto 
Rican towns. Many Americans had not, however, learned to make use of it, and 
others did not even know its name or nature, while the few who had tried it in 
most cases reported favorably. Adverse opinions of new fruits are often the result 
of acquaintance gained under unfavorable circumstances, and before deciding 
adversely on an article of food it is always well to make sure that the samples 
tested are of good quality and have been well prepared from the standpoint of 
those who understand their use. 
In any attempt which may be made for the commercial production of the chayote 
an initial difficulty will probably be experienced, due to the fact that the species 
multiplies slowly on account of the single-seeded character of the fruit.¢ 
Secua. See Fevillea cordifolia. 
Securidaca virgata. BrEJUCO DE SOPLA. 
Family Polygalaceae; a reclining shrub 3 meters high, found in waste places; 
reported from Mayaguez. (Stahl, 2: 54.) 
Sen de dos hojas. See Chamaecrista diphyllu. 
Sen del pais. See Cassia laevigata and C. bicapsularis. 
Sen de palillos. See Cassia bacillaris. 
Sen obtusifolia. See Cassia tora. 
Sepi. See Newrolaena lobata. 
Serasuelo. See Eugenia serrasuela. 
Possibly an error for ‘*‘ cerasuelo.”’ 
Serillos. See Meliosma obtusifolia. 
Serjania curassavica. See Paullinia pinnata. 
Serjania lucida. BrJUCO DE CORRALES. 
Family Sapindaceae. A woody annual or biennial vine-like shrub, in waste 
places along the shore. (Stahl, 2:.154.) 
“For a more complete discussion of this plant see Bull. 28 of the Diy. of Botany, 
J. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



