﻿10 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



47874 to 47876— Continued. 



than a few degrees of frost and is successful only in regions which rarely 

 experience temperatures below freezing." (Wilson Popenoe.) 

 47876. Solanttm quitoense Lam. Solanaceae. Naranjilla. 



A hairy-leaved unarmed shrub, 4 to 8 feet in height, bearing large 

 quantities of small, acid, peculiarly fragrant fruits which the Spaniards 

 call " Quito oranges " because of their size, appearance, and flavor. They 

 are used for salads and preserves and for making cooling drinks and ices ; 

 a little of the juice is used in the preparation of the tea called mate. 



For previous introduction and description, see S. P. I. No. 42034. 



47877. Costus speciosus (Koen.) J. E. Smith. Zinziberacese. 



From Oneco, Fla. Plants purchased from Reasoner Bros. Received July 

 11, 1919. 

 One of the most elegant plants of this family; its stout, spirally twisted 

 stem carries its glossy leaves and dense, showy, white-flowered spike above the 

 brushwood in the Indian tropical jungles. It is common everywhere in India, 

 and especially in Bengal, where it frequents moist, shady places. The tuberous, 

 horizontal rootstock yields 24 per ceat starch, and in Ceylon the poorer natives 

 use it for food, but it is not cultivated. In some parts of India the tuber is 

 cooked in sirup and made into a preserve. It is also used as a substitute for 

 ginger. (Adapted from Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products of India, 

 p. 279; Hooker, Flora of British India, vol. 6, p. 249; and dhevast, C. Congres 

 d' 'Agriculture Coloniale, Gouv. Gen. de VIndo-Chine, Hanoi series, No. 2, 1918.) 



47878 to 47881. 



From Auckland, New Zealand. Presented by Mr. Clement L. Wragge, 

 Waiata Botanic Garden, Birkenhead. Received July 11, 1919. 



47878. Rhopalostylis sapida ( Soland. ) Wendl. and Drude. Phcenicacea?. 

 ( Areca sapida Soland.) Nikau palm. 



This elegant and graceful palm, found usually in thick brush, is the 

 only species of this family represented on the mainland of New Zealand. 

 The tree is sometimes 30 feet in height, with a smooth, polished, ringed, 

 green stem and pinnate leaves 14 feet in length. Each tree bears two or 

 three spathes, 13 inches long, which inclose the flower buds. The white 

 flowers, sessile on a thick, fleshy, white axis, are followed by ovoid 

 drupes, half an inch in length, which are a vivid red when ripe and look 

 like a huge bunch of coral. The fruits are extremely hard and have 

 been used for shooting birds. Although so hard, they are much relished 

 by the wild parrots. The leaf strips are much used by the Maoris for 

 weaving into baskets and kits of every description. The leaves are used 

 in the construction of the native huts ; a framework is made of manuka 

 sticks, and the roof and walls of palm leaves which form a water-tight 

 covering. The top of the stem is fleshy and juicy and is sometimes 

 eaten. The nikau palm will stand fire almost as well as the cabbage 

 tree (Cordyline australis). After a big bush fire most of the trees are 

 killed, except the nikaus, the cabbage trees, and the fern trees. (Adapted 

 from Laing and Blackwell, Plants of New Zealand, p. 84.) 



