16 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED 



57931 to 57936.— Continued. 



57934. Poecilanthe PARViFLORA Benth. Faba- 

 ceae. 



The lapachillo, as it is called in its native home 

 on the Uruguay River, is a tree of great beauty, 

 with its finely divided leaves and small but 

 dense clusters of pink flowers. The heartwood is 

 dark brown, very hard, heavy, and durable. 

 (Adapted from Journal of the Linnean Society, 

 vol. 4, suppl., p. 80,, and Lillo, Contribution al 

 Conocimiento de los Arboles de la Argentina, p. 107.) 



57935. Pomaderris apetala Labill. Rhamna- 

 ceae. 



A tree occasionally 60 feet in height, but usually 

 smaller; native to southeastern Australia. The 

 foliage is eaten readily by stock, often in prefer- 

 ence to their customary feed. (Adapted from 

 Mueller, Select Extra- Tropical Plants, p. 416.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 48681. 



57938. Prosopis nandubey Lorentz. Mimo- 

 sacese. 



A tree of moderate height which is common in 

 the mountainous regions of Uruguay. The nu- 

 merous small yellowish flowers appear in the 

 spring, and the sickle-shaped pods inclose a pulp 

 of acid flavor. Because of its great durability the 

 wood is prized for industrial purposes. (Adapted 

 from Arechavaleta, Flora Uruguaya, vol. 1, p. 419.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 48685. 



57937 and 57938. Malus sylvestris 

 Mill. (JPyrus malus L.). Malaceae. 



Apple. 



From Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Presented 

 by O. F. Cole, orchard supervisor, Department of 

 Agriculture. Received September 6, 1923. 



"King Cole. Fruit medium sized, roundish, in- 

 clined to oblate, pretty uniform in shape and size. 

 Stem short, slender. Cavity rather deep, acute, 

 symmetrical. Calyx small. A beautiful apple, 

 highly colored aud with a fine aroma. The apple 

 gives evidence of being a good keeper and a good 

 shipper. A specimen of this fruit forwarded by 

 Mr. Cole in April reached us in good condition six 

 weeks later although packed in an ordinary small 

 wooden box. Other specimens forwarded July 13, 

 1923, reached us August 21 in excellent condition. 

 If this variety proves resistant to woolly aphis, as 

 claimed, it will prove a valuaole acquisition to our 

 apple collections." (B. T. Galloway.) 



"This is a chance seedling supposed to be a cross 

 between Jonathan and Dutch Mignone. The origi- 

 nal seedling is still standing upon the property of 

 R. G. Cole, orchardist, Lang Lang, Victoria, where 

 the seed germinated. The producer first exhibited 

 this apple at the fruit carnival held in the Exhibi- 

 tion Buildings, Melbourne, in 1912, and won the 

 silver medal for a Victoria-raised seedling. The 

 seedling was registered with the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society of Victoria under the name It. G. 

 Cole's Champion. The writer submitted it under 

 the name of Cole's Champion to the committee of 

 the Australia Pomological Society, but owing likely 

 to confusion the word Champion has been dropped 

 and Cole accepted as the future name of tnis apple. 



"The tree is very productive and a strong up- 

 right grower. The wood is dark, becoming reddish 

 with age and lightly speckled with grey dots; the 

 buds are moderately prominent; the foliage is me- 

 dium sized and dark green. During the 1920 fruit 

 season 22 cases of salable fruit were gathered from 

 the original seedling tree. The flowers are not bold 

 and are medium sized. The blossoming period is 

 from the 12th to the 20th of October in Victoria. 



"The apple, which has been tested under cool 

 storage conditions, is a handsome dessert type of 

 medium size, roundish conical, or tapering to the 

 eye; tbe skin is thin and smooth; the ground clear 

 pale yellow, splashed with lively red narrow broken 

 stripes. The whole of the exposed surface is a light 

 red, becoming deeper in color where exposed to the 

 sun. The flesh is firm, white, crisp, juicy, sweet, 



with a slightly perfumed aromatic flavor; the core 

 is compact, the stalk thin and averaging three- 

 quarters of an inch in length, inserted in a deep, 

 rather fairly regular cavity. The calyx is small and 

 closed; the segments pointed, slightly recurved, and 

 set in a deep, rather narrow and corrugated basin. 

 Its season in Victoria is April to September. It has 

 been proved to be a very good keeper in cool storage 

 and while stored it emits a strong aroma. It could 

 be gathered in some districts about the middle of 

 March. This variety is being largely planted, and 

 it promises to become one of the best late apples 

 introduced." (Journal of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, Victoria, p. 492.) 



57937. Trees. Budded on Northern Spy. 



57938. Budwood. 



57939. Trifolium pratense L. Fa- 

 bacese. Red clover. 



From Ayr, Scotland. Seeds presented by McGill 

 & Smith. Received September 8, 1923. 



"A very hardy and permanent strain of wild red 

 clover with which we are experimenting. It grows 

 slightly the first year and by the third year pro- 

 duces quite a lot of foliage." (McGill.) 



Introduced for department agronomists. 



57940. Nypa fruticans Wurmb. 

 Phcenicacese. Nipa palm. 



From Lamao, Philippine Islands. Seeds presented 

 by H. H. Boyle, of the Columbian Rope Co., 

 Manila, through the Bureau of Agriculture, 

 Manila. Received September 6, 1923. 



From an economic standpoint this palm is one of 

 the most important in the Philippines. It occurs 

 along tidal streams throughout the archipelago and 

 thrives only in brackish swamps. The "nipa," as 

 it is called, has a stout, creeping, underground stem, 

 and the pinnate leaves, which are in erect clusters, 

 are 7 meters (23 feet) or more in length. The flat 

 fruits, 5 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches 

 thick, are crowded in a large, round head which is 

 borne on a special, erect stalk. The juice obtained 

 by cutting this stalk just below the fruiting head is 

 a very promising source of sugar and alcohol. 

 Probably 85 per cent of the 3,000,000 gallons of proof 

 alcohol produced annually in the Philippines comes 

 from the "nipa" palm. The leaves of this palm 

 are extensively used for thatching and for making 

 baskets and mats, and the immature seeds are 

 boiled in sugar to form a confection. The tree is 

 also a pleasing ornamental. (Adapted from Brown 

 and Merrill, Philippine Palms and Palm Products, 

 p. 98.) 



57941 and 57942. 



From Barberton, Transvaal. Seeds presented by 

 George Thorncroft. Received September 8, 1923. 

 Quoted notes by Mr. Thorncroft. 



57941. Nathtjsia sp. (Schrebera sp.) Oleacese. 



"A tree about 20 feet high with sweet-scented 

 flowers resembling those of the jasmine." 



57942. Watsonia flavida Bolus. Iridaceae. 



"This is very closely allied to the gladiolus-, but 

 the flowers are smaller and creamy white. It 

 grows on stony hills in this region at an altitude 

 of 4,000 feet." 



57943. Hevea brasiliensis (H. B. 

 K.) Muell. Arg. EuphorbiaceaB. 



From Dominica, British West Indies. Seeds pre- 



sented by the Botanic Garden, 

 tember 13, 1923. 



Received Sep- 



"The Para rubber tree (Hcvea brasiliensis) , native 

 to Brazil and now extensively cultivated in the 

 East Indies, has always ranked as the principal and 

 most important rubber-producing tree of the world 



