16 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED 



62005. Diospyros sp. Diospyraceae. 



Persimmon. 



From Salisbury, Rhodesia, Africa. Seeds 

 presented by Dr. F. Eyles, botanist and 

 mycologist, Rhodesian Department of Ag- 

 riculture. Received November 13, 1924. 



The ripe fruit of the " Rhodesian per- 

 simmon " is round, about 1% inches in di- 

 ameter, brown, soft, and of pleasant flavor, 

 and usually contains four seeds. The tree, 

 which grows in southern Rhodesia at an 

 altitude of 3,500 feet or less, is gnarled, 

 with blackish bark, and becomes only 25 to 

 35 feet in height. The native name is 

 M'cltcnjc. According to the natives it 

 fruits only in alternate years. (Eyles.) 



62006. Byrsonima spicata (Cav.) DC. 

 Malpighiaeeae. 



From Dominica, British West Indies. Seeds 

 presented by Joseph Jones, curator, Bo- 

 tanic Gardens. Received November 24. 

 1924. 



A tropical tree 30 to 40 feet high, known 

 in Dominica as Bois Tan. The narrow 

 leaves are shining green above and rusty 

 brown beneath, and the yellow flowers, fol- 

 lowed by acid, edible fruits of the same 

 color, make the tree a showy ornamental. 

 The tough, light wood is useful for general 

 construction, and the bark is a source of 

 tannin. 



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

 58370. 



62007. Davidia in yolucrata B a i 1 1 . 

 Cornacese. Dove tree. 



From Paris, France. Seeds presented by 

 A. Gerard. Received November 18, 1924. 



The dove tree, as this is sometimes 

 called, is a native of the mountainous for- 

 ests of central and western China, and was 

 first introduced into western cultivation by 

 E. H. Wilson of the Arnold Arboretum, who 

 gives an account of his search for this plant 

 in the Country Gentleman for August, 1926. 

 After a number of disappointments Mr. 

 Wilson finally discovered a number of trees 

 in the neighborhood of lchang, Hupeh, 

 China, and collected a quantity of seeds. 



In its native home this tree becomes 75 

 feet high, with a shapely pyramidal crown. 

 When in bloom the tree is unusually strik- 

 ing because of the two or three large, snow- 

 white bracts which subtend each flower. 

 These bracts are unequal in size, the largest 

 being 4 to 8 inches long and 2 to 4 inches 

 wide. The bright-green, oval, sharply 

 toothed leaves are 3 to 6 inches long. 



62008. Etjcryphia pinnatifolia Gay. 

 Eucryphiaceae. 



From Kew, Surrey, England. Seeds pre- 

 sented by Dr. A. W. Hill, director, Royal 

 Botanic Gardens. Received November 24, 

 1924. 



An evergreen shrub from 3 to 10 feet 

 high, which is particularly attractive be- 

 cause of its large, white flowers, 2% to 3 

 inches across, not unlike a large, single rose 

 with a tuft of stamens in the center. It 

 does best in a rather moist situation pro- 

 tected from the strongest rays of the sun. 



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

 49271. 



62009 and 62010. 



From Canton, China. Seeds collected by 

 F. A. McClure, agricultural explorer, Bu- 

 reau of Plant Industry. Received No- 

 vember 26, 1924. 



62009 to 62010— Continued. 



62009. Artocarpus sp. Moracese. 



No. 1. October 1, 1924. Hung Kwai 

 Muk. Collected by G. W. Groff from a 

 tree on the campus of the Canton Chris- 

 tian College. A very ornamental tree, 5 

 meters ( approximately 16 feet) high, 

 with a spreading habit and glossy foliage. 

 The tree bears abundantly, round, green- 

 ish yellow-brown fruits about the size of 

 a large plum, with a pleasant acid flavor. 

 The fruits can be made into a jam which 

 resembles cherry preserves in color and 

 flavor. Due to a certain roughness of 

 the skin, which is not evident to the eye, 

 the fruit is unfortunately a little diffi- 

 cult to eat out of hand. {McClure.) 



62010. GORDONIA AXILLARIS (ROXb.) 



Szyszyl. Theaces. 



No. 2. October 9, 1924. Collected on 

 Hongkong Island in a wooded ravine at 

 300 meters (approximately 1,000 feet) al- 

 titude in decomposed granite soil. A 

 beautiful shrub, 2 to 4 meters (approxi- 

 mately 7 to 14 feet) in height, with 

 thick, glossy foliage and delicate, ephem- 

 eral, white flowers 3 to 4 centimeters 

 (approximately 1 to 2 inches) in diame- 

 ter. (McClure.) 



62011. Amygdalus communis L. (Pru- 

 nus amygdalus Stokes). Amygdala- 

 eeae. Bitter almond. 



From Serai. Bagdad, Mesopotamia. Seeds 

 presented by G. S. Cameron, officiating 

 director of agriculture. Received Decem- 

 ber 1, 1924. 

 Seeds of the bitter almond, introduced 



for comparison and cultural tests. 



62012. Deutzia longifolia Franch. 

 Hydrangeacese. 



From Paris, France. Seeds presented by 

 Yilmorin-Andrieux & Co. Received De- 

 cember 1, 1924. 



Among the many attractive species of 

 Deutzia, this is considered to be one of the 

 handsomest, according to the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle (ser. 3, vol. 51). It comes from 

 western China and is a shrub about 6 feet 

 high, with narrow leaves, whitish below, 

 and rosy flowers, about an inch across, pro- 

 duced in rounded clusters 2 to 3 inches in 

 diameter. 



62013. Ohamaedorea elegans Mart. 

 Phoenicacese. Pacayito. 



From Zaeuapam, Huatusco, Vera Cruz, Mex- 

 ico. Seeds presented by Dr. C. A. Pur- 

 pus. Received December 4, 1924. 



The pacayito, a handsome dwarf palm 

 native to Mexico and Central America, is an 

 excellent ornamental house plant, and will 

 tolerate shade to a greater extend than 

 many other plants. It often comes into 

 flower when not over a foot high, and the 

 deep-green, finely pinnate, graceful leaves 

 are very attractive. Excessive atmospheric 

 aridity, such as frequently prevails in arti- 

 ficially heated rooms, is likely to prove un- 

 favorable to this palm. 



62014. Rtjbtjs glatjcus Benth. Rosa- 

 cea?. Andean raspberry. 



From Ibarra, Ecuador. Seeds presented by 

 Sr. Jose Felix Tamayo. Received Decem- 

 ber 3, 1924. 



The Andean raspberry is half climbing in 

 habit and a vigorous grower. It covers ar- 

 bors and fences or can be trained into bush 

 form, making a clump about 10 feet broad 

 and high. The stems are round and cov- 



