﻿18 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



42463. Maranta artjndinacea L. Marantacese. Arrowroot. 



From Kingston, Jamaica. Tubers presented by Mr. W. Harris, superintend- 

 ent, Hope Gardens. Received April 15, 1916. 



" The true arrowroot is a native of tropical America. The arrowroot is a per- 

 ennial herb with large lanceolate leaves and white rootstocks or rhizomes 1 to 2 

 feet in length and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The plant is propagated by divi- 

 sions of the rhizomes in rows 3 feet apart and 1 foot apart in the row. The 

 tubers may be harvested about 8 to 12 montks from the time of planting. A 

 good yield of arrowroot is 5 tons of tubers per acre. The tubers contain 25 

 per cent starch. The yield of prepared arrowroot per acre is about 1,500 

 pounds. Arrowroot starch may be obtained by grating, washing, and straining 

 the tubers by the method used with cassava. Like cassava, also, the plant seems 

 to exhaust the soil quickly, thus making necessary a system of rotation. The 

 best quality of arrowroot comes from Bermuda, but the largest supply is re- 

 ceived from St. Vincent, Barbados, and Ceylon. Arrowroot starch is con- 

 sidered to be very easily digested and is generally recommended for invalids 

 who have found difficulty in digesting the starch from potatoes and other 

 plants." (Wilcox, TropicoJl Agriculture, p. 151.) 



For an illustration of the Bermuda arrowroot plant, see Plate II. 



42464 to 42469. 



From Brisbane, Australia. Presented by Mr. J. F. Bailey, Botanic Gar- 

 dens. Received April 4, 1916. 



42464. Careya austealis (Benth.) F. Muell. Lecythidaceae. 



A large tree with alternate undotted leaves, large red flowers, and 

 globular, fleshy, edible fruit with a hard rind. The bark is made into 

 twine, and the wood, which is of a light-gray color, red in the center, 

 close in grain, and tough, is easily worked. (Adapted from Bailey, 

 Queensland Flora, p. 667.) 



42465. Eeemoctteus glatjca (Lindl.) Swingle. Rutacea?. 

 (Atalantia glauca Benth.) Australian desert kumquat. 



An edible-fruited shrub or small tree, occurring in Queensland, and 

 New South Wales in subtropical regions subject to severe cold and ex- 

 treme drought. Small, emarginated leaves, subglobose, flattened, or 

 slightly pyriform fruits; small seeds. An 'ade is made from the juice, 

 and the fruits are good for making jam or pickles. It is the hardiest 

 evergreen citrus fruit known and the only one showing pronounced 

 drought-resistant adaptations. (For fuller description, see Bailey, Stand- 

 ard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, vol. 2, p. 1127.) 



42466. Eeytheina vespeetllio Benth. Fabacea?. Coral tree. 

 A soft-wooded tree found in Queensland and in North, South, and 



Western Australia, growing to a height of 30 to 40 feet, with a diameter 

 of 1 to 2 feet. The wood is used by the aborigines for making their 

 "hielamans," or shields, being exceedingly light and spongy. Might 

 possibly be used for making floats for fishing nets. Called hielaman 

 tree or batswing coral. (Adapted from Maiden, Useful Plants of Aus- 

 tralia, p. 426.) 



42467. Eucalyptus miniata A. Cunn. Myrtacese. 



A moderate-sized or large tree, the bark fibrous and persistent, but 

 readily separable in flakes, the young shoots sometimes glaucous or 

 mealy white. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate, mostly 



