4 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED 



able from the northern tung oil obtained from A.fordii. In view of the increasing 

 use for this oil southern Florida may become a domestic source of supply through 

 the growth of the southern species. 



Vicary Gibbs has given us his Aldenham flowering apple (Mains sylvestris, No. 

 56693), said to be a chance hybrid originating at Aldenham and one of the very 

 finest of all the red-flowered apples, for our parks and dooryards. He has sent 

 also seeds of Stranvaesia davidiana (Nos. 56695 and 56696), a handsome bush or 

 small standard tree which is evergreen and hardy at Washington and because of 

 its bright foliage worthy of a place in any small garden. 



After many years of fruitless effort there have been collected at last, through 

 the kindness of C. T. White, Government botanist of Queensland, the seeds of the 

 two unusually hardy species of Garcinia, G. mestoni (No. 56699) and G. gibbsiae 

 (No. 56698), both native to the forests of the Bellenden Ker Hills of Queens- 

 land at altitudes of 2,000 feet. Since these may grow better in southern Florida 

 than the more tropical species of garcinias, they have a special interest for those 

 interested in the establishment of the mangosteen in the Western Hemisphere. 

 Garcinia mestoni has a large, very juicy fruit of a pleasant acid flavor, but ripe 

 fruits of G. gibbsiae have not yet been eaten by any collector who could describe 

 its character. Although the seeds sent by Mr. White failed to live, he is now 

 growing plants in Brisbane for shipment to America. 



Thirty-six seedling sweet-potato varieties (Ipomoea batatas, Nos. 56710 to 56745) 

 from plantings of the Big Wig, Key West "yam,'' and Black Rock varieties which 

 it is believed were crossed naturally, for trial in the sweet-potato regions of this 

 country, were sent by J. B. Thompson, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands. 



Consul Charles E. Allen, of Damascus, sent a collection of apple varieties 

 (Mains sylvestris, Nos. 56746 to 56755) from the Plain of Zebdani, which lies 

 northwest of Damascus and is 3,500 feet above the sea. It is possible that some 

 of these may prove better adapted to the Mohave Desert apple region of Cali- 

 fornia than are the Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Yellow Newtown, and other varieties 

 now being tried there. 



The botanical determinations of introductions have been made and the nomen- 

 clature determined by H. C. Skeels, and the descriptive matter has been pre- 

 pared by Paul Russell, who has had general supervision of this inventory. 



David Fairchild, 

 Agricultural Explorer in Charge. 



Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, 

 Washington, D. C, July 25, 1924. 



