30 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED 



56662 and 56663. 



acese. 



Zea mays L. Po- 

 Corn. 



From Buitenzorg, Java. Seeds presented by 

 Dr. P. J. S. Cramer, director, General Experi- 

 ment Station. Received January 31, 1923. 

 Quoted notes by L. Koch. 



56662. " Madoera mais (Madura corn). 

 Madura corn was obtained from the island 

 of Madura. This is an early variety, ma- 

 turing in Java in from 75 to 85 days. The 

 plants remain low (under 6 feet) and pro- 

 duce as a rule not more than one ear. The 

 variety is less susceptible to diseases and 

 drought than others, this being one of the 

 principal reasons for its culture. The yield 

 is usually less than that of Yellow Menado, 

 but under good conditions 50 and more 

 bushels to the acre have been harvested. 

 The grain is very popular with the Madur- 

 ese, who eat it pounded as rice." 



56663. " Gele Menado mats (Yellow Menado 

 corn) . This variety was received from the 

 northern Moluccas, where it is planted ex- 

 tensively by the natives. It resembles very 

 closely the Nation Yellow Flint from the 

 Philippines and I presume that both vari- 

 eties are the same. Yellow Menado is a 

 flint variety of late maturity; it ripens at 

 Buitenzorg in 115 to 120 days, growing to a 

 height of 8 to 11 feet. It is prolific, 100 

 plants producing 150 to 180 ears, the per- 

 centage of sterile plants usually being low. 

 At Buitenzorg, where the climate is not 

 favorable for corn plantings, the average 

 yield in the dry season is about 28 bushels 

 per acre; in the wet season, however, it is 

 much less. Under good conditions, such 

 as after a green-manure crop, much higher 

 yields have been reported (60 to 70 bushels 

 per acre). The grain is of good taste and 

 is very much favored by the natives." 



56664 and 56665. Dahlia 

 Safford. Asteraceae. 



iaxonii 

 Dahlia. 



From Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Seeds pre- 

 sented by W. Cameron Townsend. Re- 

 ceived March 12, 1923. Quoted notes by 

 Mr. Townsend. 



56664. "I think these seeds are of the ' White 

 dahlia'; they were taken from plants culti- 

 vated in Chimaltenango." 



56665. The wild tree dahlia of the Guate- 

 malan highlands blooms in its native land 

 in the months of December and January, 

 and its starry lilac-pink flowers in graceful 

 clusters on long stems make a very agreeable 

 contrast with the dark-green hillsides. This 

 beautiful plant is extremely abundant, both 

 wild and cultivated, in many parts of the 

 Guatemalan highlands at altitudes of 3,000 

 to 7,000 feet. The stems sometimes reach 

 15 or even 18 feet in height and become 

 quite woody toward the base. The slender 

 branches bear the clusters of nodding flowers, 

 some of which measure 4 or 5 inches across. 

 When brought into cultivation around the 

 huts of the natives the species seems to 

 lose its stability, and in place of the single 

 lilac-pink flowers appear double pink and 

 double white forms and, less commonly, 

 single white varieties. This dahlia is sub- 

 tropical in its requirements and should suc- 

 ceed in southern Florida, provided suitable 

 soil conditions are found. (Adapted from 

 Journal of Heredity, vol. 11, pp. 265-268.) 



56666. Aleurites 

 Euphorbiacese. 



foedii Hemsl. 

 Tung- oil tree. 



From Hongkong, China. Seeds presented by 

 H. Green, superintendent, Botanical and For. 

 estry Department. Received March 12, 1923. 



"A rapid-growing broad-leaved deciduous tree 

 which attains a height of 25 to 35 feet. It is said to 

 be comparatively short-lived. Clusters of pinkish 



white flowers are produced just as the leaves begin 

 to come out in the spring, followed by green or 

 reddish fruits somewhat larger than those of the 

 black walnut. The fruits contain the large nut- 

 like oily seeds from which tung oil, a valuable dry- 

 ing oil, is expressed. The oil constitutes about 24 

 per cent (by weight) of the seeds, or about 40 per 

 cent of the kernels from which the shells have been 

 removed. The tree appears to be particularly well 

 adapted to the sandy clay soils and the climate of 

 northwestern Florida and the adjacent regions of 

 Alabama and Georgia." {R. A. Young.) 

 For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 50635. 



56667. Garcinia mangostana L. 

 Clusiacese. Mangosteen. 



From Kingston, Jamaica. Seeds presented by 

 W. S. Goodman, acting superintendent, 

 Hope Gardens. Received March 12, 1923. 



Mangosteen seeds introduced from Jamaica for 

 testing in our tropical dependencies. 

 For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 56070. 



56668 to 56675. 



From *lew, England. Seeds presented by Dr 

 A. H. Hill, director, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

 Received March 12, 1923. 



Introduced for the use of specialists in the depart- 

 ment engaged in forage-crop investigations. 



58668 to 56670. Lotus spp. Fabaceae. 



56668. Lotus edulis L. 



A more or less hairy annual with 

 ascending or erect branched stems 4 to 16 

 inches long, short-stemmed grayish green 

 leaflets, and large yellow flowers in few- 

 flowered heads. The plant grows only in 

 sandy areas in the Mediterranean region. 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. 

 No. 51861. 



56669. Lotus requieni Mauri. 



A hairy ascending or erect plant with 

 stems about a foot long, native to the 

 vicinity of Rome, Italy. The leaflets are 

 rhombic in shape and sharp pointed, and 

 the flowers are small and red. 



56670. Lotus tetragonolobus L. 



A purple-flowered annual from the 

 eastern Mediterranean countries, where 

 it frequents the edges of cultivated fields, 

 roadsides, etc. It is more or less hairy, 

 with obovate leaflets. The edible seeds 

 are sometimes used as a substitute for 

 coffee, and the plant is often cultivated as 

 an ornamental. 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. 

 No. 38415. 



56671 to 56675. Trifolium spp. Fabaceae. 



Clover. 



56671. Trifolium alpestre L. 



A perennial clover with long under- 

 ground roots, found over almost all the 

 mountainous parts of Europe, especially 

 in calcareous soils, and ascending to a 

 height of 16,000 feet. The narrowly oval 

 leaflets are velvety hairy, and the flowers 

 are pinkish purple. 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. 

 No. 35276. 



56672. Trifolium elegans Savi. 



A smooth perennial clover with stems 

 8 to 20 inches long, found throughout 

 Europe and the Caucasus, especially in 

 siliceous soils. The flowers are whitish or 

 pink. The plant is cultivated for forage. 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. 

 No. 35275. 



