﻿32 
  SEEDS 
  AND 
  PLANTS 
  IMPORTED. 
  

  

  31638. 
  Dioscorea 
  sp. 
  

  

  From 
  Chile. 
  Received 
  through. 
  Mr. 
  Jose 
  D. 
  Husbands. 
  Limavida, 
  via 
  Molina, 
  

   Chile, 
  August 
  15, 
  1911. 
  

  

  11 
  Haiauque. 
  A 
  dainty 
  vine 
  elegant 
  for 
  window 
  or 
  table 
  decoration. 
  Tubers 
  

   edible 
  when 
  cooked." 
  (Husbands.) 
  

  

  31639. 
  Rhus 
  verniciflua 
  Stokes. 
  Lacquer 
  tree. 
  

  

  The 
  lacquer 
  tree 
  has 
  heretofore 
  been 
  listed 
  in 
  these 
  inventories 
  as 
  Rhus 
  vernicifcra, 
  

   which 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  1825 
  by 
  De 
  Candolle 
  (Prodromus, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  68). 
  In 
  1796, 
  

   however, 
  Salisbury 
  (Prodromus, 
  p. 
  169) 
  published 
  the 
  name 
  Rhus 
  vemiciferum, 
  based 
  

   on 
  Rhus 
  vernix 
  L., 
  thus 
  invalidating 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  by 
  De 
  Candolle. 
  Rhus 
  

   vernix, 
  published 
  in 
  1753 
  by 
  Linnseus 
  (Species 
  Plantarum, 
  p. 
  265) 
  included 
  two 
  

   distinct 
  species, 
  the 
  poison 
  sumac 
  of 
  America 
  and 
  the 
  lacquer 
  tree 
  of 
  Japan. 
  In 
  1771, 
  

   Linnseus 
  (Mantissa 
  Plantarum, 
  p. 
  358) 
  excluded 
  the 
  Japanese 
  plant 
  from 
  R. 
  vernix, 
  

   thus 
  showing 
  that 
  he 
  wished 
  the 
  name 
  to 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  plant. 
  As 
  no 
  other 
  

   name 
  had 
  been 
  published 
  for 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  

   why 
  this 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  followed. 
  In 
  1812, 
  Stokes 
  (A 
  Botanical 
  Materia 
  Medica, 
  vol. 
  

   2, 
  p. 
  164) 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  this 
  fact 
  in 
  a 
  note 
  under 
  his 
  description 
  of 
  Rhus 
  verniciflua, 
  

   which 
  is 
  apparently 
  the 
  earliest 
  name 
  published 
  for 
  the 
  lacquer 
  tree, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  

   here 
  used. 
  

  

  From 
  Japan. 
  Presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  Sammons, 
  American 
  consul 
  general, 
  

   Yokohama. 
  Japan, 
  who 
  procured 
  them 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Metsunosuke 
  Yamaguchi, 
  

   Shindamachi, 
  Nagano, 
  Xagano 
  Prefecture, 
  Japan. 
  Received 
  July 
  2G, 
  1911. 
  

  

  " 
  A 
  slender-branched 
  tree 
  with 
  winged 
  leaves, 
  attaining 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  20 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  

   common 
  throughout 
  Japan 
  and 
  is 
  cultivated 
  for 
  its 
  sap, 
  which 
  flows 
  from 
  its 
  stem 
  and 
  

   branches 
  on 
  being 
  wounded. 
  It 
  is 
  first 
  cream 
  colored, 
  but 
  on 
  exposure 
  to 
  the 
  air 
  soon 
  

   turns 
  black, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  varnish 
  which 
  the 
  Japanese 
  use 
  for 
  lacquering 
  their 
  furniture 
  

   ...mental 
  articles.'' 
  (Smith, 
  Dictionary 
  of 
  Popular 
  Names 
  of 
  Economic 
  Plants, 
  

   p. 
  426.) 
  

  

  '-' 
  The 
  varnish 
  or 
  lacquer 
  is 
  valuable 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  great 
  hardness 
  without 
  brittleness 
  

   or 
  becoming 
  cracked, 
  its 
  high 
  lustre 
  and 
  mirroriike 
  surface, 
  which 
  remains 
  untarnished 
  

   for 
  centuries, 
  its 
  resistance 
  to 
  the 
  agencies 
  which 
  attack 
  resinous 
  varnishes, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   not 
  injured 
  by 
  boiling 
  water, 
  hot 
  ashes, 
  hot 
  alcoholic 
  liquors, 
  acids, 
  etc." 
  (/. 
  /. 
  

   Rein, 
  Industries 
  of 
  Japan.) 
  

  

  "Unlike 
  ordinary 
  paints, 
  which 
  dry 
  because 
  of 
  oxidizing 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  

   them, 
  this 
  Japanese 
  lacquer 
  dries 
  better 
  in 
  moist 
  than 
  in 
  dry 
  air, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  

   supposed 
  enzyme 
  which 
  acts 
  upon 
  an 
  albuminoid 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  vegetable- 
  

   acid 
  and 
  a 
  gum. 
  

  

  '" 
  Experiments 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  lacquer 
  will 
  not 
  harden 
  if 
  subjected 
  to 
  temperatures 
  

   which 
  are 
  high 
  enough 
  to 
  coagulate 
  the 
  albumen. 
  From 
  a 
  painful 
  personal 
  experience 
  

   with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  imported 
  juice 
  of 
  this 
  tree 
  I 
  can 
  warn 
  anyone 
  not 
  to 
  experiment 
  

   with 
  it 
  unless 
  he 
  is 
  immune 
  to 
  ivy 
  poisoning. 
  Here 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  opportunity 
  

   to 
  discover 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  proper 
  face 
  and 
  hand 
  lotions 
  workers 
  

   could 
  handle 
  the 
  lacquer 
  with 
  impunity. 
  Certainly, 
  so 
  wonderful 
  a 
  thing 
  as 
  this 
  

   lacquer 
  industry 
  should 
  not 
  go 
  without 
  investigation 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  poisonous 
  prop- 
  

   erties. 
  ' 
  ' 
  ( 
  Fairchild. 
  ) 
  

  

  Experimenters 
  with 
  this 
  tree 
  should 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  volatile 
  sap 
  causes 
  a 
  painful 
  

   eruption 
  on 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  certain 
  persons 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  our 
  

   common 
  E.hus 
  known 
  as 
  poison 
  ivy, 
  though 
  probably 
  more 
  intense 
  even 
  than 
  the 
  

   latter. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  wooded 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Japan 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  provinces 
  of 
  Ichang, 
  Shensi, 
  and 
  Szechwan 
  in 
  China. 
  

   248 
  

  

  