INVENTORY^ 



63490 to 63495. Solanum tuberosum L. 

 Solanaceae. Potato. 



From Paris, France. Tubers purchased 

 from Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co. Received 

 May 6, 1925. 



Locally developed varieties. 



63490. Chardon. 



63491. General Authaine. 



63492. Institut de Beawais. 



63493. Mareohal Foch. 



63494. Marechal Joffre. 



63495. Saucisse. 



63496. Lilium croceum Cliaix. 

 aceae. 



Lili- 

 Lily. 



From Stuttgart, Germany. Bulbs pur- 

 chased from Wilhelm Pfitzer. Received 

 May 21, 1925. 



Horticulturists engaged in lily-breeding 

 experiments in the United States are en- 

 deavoring to obtain material of Lilium 

 bulbiferum. This is said to be offered in 

 the trade in Europe as L. croceum, the 

 orange lily, and material of the latter is 

 now being introduced for comparison tests. 



63497. Thunbergia gbandiflora Roxb. 



Acanthaceae. 



From Kingston, Jamaica. Cuttings pre- 

 sented by W. S. Goodman, superintend- 

 ent. Hope Gardens. Received May 2, 



1925. 



Variety alba. The typical form of Thun- 

 bergia grandiflora is well known in tropical 

 gardens, where it is highly esteemed for 

 its large, sky-blue flowers and the orna- 

 mental effect of its foliage. The white form 

 (variety alba) is less widely cultivated, 

 though perhaps as meritorious as the type. 

 It is a strong-growing climber, useful for 

 covering pergolas and fences, and is suffi- 

 ciently frost resistant for cultivation in 

 the warmer parts of Florida and the most 

 favored sections of southern California. 

 (Note by Wilson Popenoe under S. P. I. 

 No. 57216.) 



63498 and 63499. 



From Matania el Saff, Egypt. Seeds pre-- 

 sented by Alfred Bircher, director, Middle 

 Egypt Botanic Station. Received April 

 28, 1925. 



63498. Oncoba spinosa Forsk. Flaeour- 

 tiaceae. 



The discovery of chaulmoogric acid in 

 the seeds of Oncoba echinata has prompt- 

 ed the testing of other species of -the 

 same genus for the presence of this 

 acid, now used in the treatment of 

 leprosy. O. spinosa is described (Flora 

 of Tropical Africa, vol. 1, p. 115) as a 

 spiny shrub with elliptic, membranous 

 leaves and showy, fragrant, white flow- 

 ers about 2 inches across. The round, 

 hard-shelled fruit. 2 inches in diameter, 

 is eaten by the natives of tropical Africa, 

 where the shrub is indigenous. The 

 shells are often used as ornaments. 



SCLEROCARYA BIRREA (A. RlCfr.> 



Hochst. Anacardiaceae. 



A tropical African tree 25 to 50 feet 

 tall, with leathery pinnate leaves and 

 light-yellow round fruits about an inch 

 in length. The sweet resinous flesh in- 

 closes a stony nut containing two to four 

 seeds which have a flavor similar to that 

 of walnuts and are a favorite fOod of 

 the natives of Abyssinia. 



63500 to 63521. Diospyros eaki L. f. 

 Diospyraceae. Kaki. 



From Nanking, China. Scions presented by 

 M. Leslie Hancock, University of Nanking. 

 Received April 1, 1925. 



These scions are from our persimmon or- 

 chard here at the university ; the material 

 was received from many sources, and there 

 are probably several duplications in the col- 

 lection. (Hancock,} 



63500. No. 6. 



63501. No. 7. 



63502. No. 10. 



63503. No. 11. 



63504. No. 12. 



63505. No. 13. 



63506. No. 15. 



63507. No. 16- 



63508. No. 17. 



63509. No. 18. 



1 It should be understood that the names of varieties of fruits, vegetables, cereal's, and' 

 other plants used in this inventory are those under which the material was received when 

 introduced by the Office of Foreign Plant Introduction, and, further, that the printing of 

 such names here does not constitute their official publication and adoption in this country. 

 As the different varieties are studied, their entrance into the American trade forecast, 

 and the use of varietal names for them in American literature becomes necessary, the 

 foreign varietal dtsignations appearing in this inventory will be subject to change with a 

 view to bringing the forms of the names into harmony with recognized horticultural' 

 nomenclature. 



It is a well-known fact that botanical descriptions, both technical and economic, seldom 

 mention the seeds at all and rarely describe them in such a way as to make possible iden- 

 tification from the seeds alone. Many of the unusual plants listed in these inventories 

 are appearing in this country for the first time, and there are no seed samples or herbarium 

 specimens with ripe seeds with which the new arrivals may be compared. The only 

 identification possible is to see that the sample received resembles seeds of other species 

 of the same genus or of related genera. The responsibility for the identifications, there- 

 fore, must necessarily often rest with the person sending the material. If there is any 

 question regarding the correctness of the identification of any plant received from this 

 office, herbarium specimens of leaves and flowers should be sent in* so that definite- 

 identification can be made. 





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