JULY 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1923 



19 



58018. Attalea sp. Phcenicacese. 



Palm. 



From Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. Seeds presented by 

 M. Bandala, Agronomo Regional, Direction 

 General de Agricultura. Received August 17, 

 1923. 



A genus of tropical American palms, some mem- 

 bers of which produce valuable oil-yielding fruits, 

 while others are prized for the fiber obtained from 

 the leaves and leafstalks. All are of great orna- 

 mental value because of their long graceful pinnate 

 leaves. 



58019. Peesea AMERICANA Mill. 

 (P. gratissima Gaertn. f.). Lauracese. 



Avocado. 



From Caracas, Venezuela. Seeds presented by H. 

 Pittier. Received September 12, 1923. 



"The fruits from which these seeds were taken 

 were obtained from a peddler here in C aracas . They 

 are pear shaped, of uniform size, about 4 inches long 

 and 2 inches in diameter. The rather tough skin is 

 light yellow, and the flesh, rather well developed in 

 proportion to the seed, has a peculiar but agreeable 

 flavor." (Pittier.) 



58020. Strychnos gilletii Wildem. 

 Loganiaceae. 



From Kisantu, Belgian Congo. Seeds presented by 

 Frere J. Gillet. Received September 12, 1923. 



"The fruits of this species are edible." (Gillet.) 



A spiny shrub, related to the Kafir orange (Strych- 

 nos spinosa) which grows wild in thickets in the 

 Belgian Congo. The leathery shining leaves are 

 oblong-oval, deeply notched at the apex, and the 

 fruits are about 2 inches in diameter. (Adapted 

 from Annales du Musee du Congo, ser. 5, vol.1, p. 176.) 



58021. Populus sp. 



Salicacese. 



Poplar. 



From Likiang, Yunnan, China. Seeds collected by 

 J. F. Rock, National Geographic Society, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Received September 17, 1923. 



"(No. 9501. June, 1923.) A large and handsome 

 tree 60 to 80 feet tall with a trunk 2 to 3 feet in diam- 

 eter growing at the foot of Kintzu Shan along 

 streams at an altitude of 8,500 feet. The very large 

 dark-green heart-shaped leaves are silvery beneath, 

 and the branches are straight and ascending." 

 (Bock.) 



58022. Lapageria rosea Ruiz and 

 Pav. Liliacese. 



From Valparaiso, Chile. Seeds presented by F. L. 

 Crouse, Instituto Agricola Bunster, Angol, 

 through C. F. Deichman, American consul gen- 

 eral, Valparaiso. Received September 4, 1923. 



" Copihue. This, the national flower of Chile, 

 has been occasionally grown in northern green- 

 houses, where it creates a genuine sensation when in 

 bloom. It is a climbing plant of slow growth, with 

 slender wiry stems and bright-crimson tubular 

 flowers about 3 inches in length. In southern Chile 

 huge bunches of these blossoms are brought to the 

 railway stations and sold to passing travelers. The 

 plant requires an acid soil." ( Wilson Popenoe.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 54621. 



58023. Pruntjs tomentosa Thunb. 

 Amygdalacese. Bush cherry. 



From Likiang, Yunnan, China. Seeds collected by 

 J. F. Rock, National Geographic Society, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Received September 17, 1923. 



"(No. 8794. Tsehchung. June, 1923.) A shrub 

 about 4 feet high, found in the mountains on the 

 upper Mekong at an altitude of about 10,0C0 feet. 

 The oval, serrate leaves are densely hairy beneath 

 and the short-stalked fruits also are hairy." (Rock.) 



