UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



INVENTORY No. 84 



Washington, D. C. T Issued November, 1927 



PLANT MATERIAL INTRODUCED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN PLANT 

 INTRODUCTION, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, DURING THE PERIOD 

 FROM JULY 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1925 (NOS. 64429 TO 65047) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introductory statement 1 



Inventory , o 3 



Index of common and scientific names , — 83 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 



The Province of Manchuria, northeastern China, with an area of about 

 400,000 square miles, is largely an agricultural region. The winters are gen- 

 erally long and cold, with a minimum temperature sometimes as low as —40° F., 

 while the summers are' short and hot. Certain parts of the northwestern 

 United States are subject to similar climatic conditions, and it is therefore of 

 special interest that an agricultural explorer of this bureau, P. H. Dorsett, 

 spent the greater part of the period covered by this inventory in Manchuria, 

 with the result that large quantities of propagating material were collected. 

 This material included such fruits as cherries, apricots, raspberries, and 

 currents ; also* a number of native grasses and many miscellaneous vegetables 

 and woody plants. • 



At the same time that Mr. Dorsett was in Manchuria., Doctor Fairchild was 

 working along the northern coast of Africa and other parts of the Mediter- 

 ranean countries, one of the oldest agricultural regions of the world. Among 

 the most interesting plants sent in by Doctor Fairchild were those included in 

 such leguminous genera as Cytisus, Genista, Hedysarum, Lotus, Medicago, 

 Scorpiurus, and Vicia. Past experience has shown that plants from the Medi- 

 terranean region generally will thrive in the warmer sections of the Pacific 

 States and parts of the Southwest, and many of the plants collected by Doctor 

 Fairchild are promising, not only as forage but also as ornamentals. Among 

 the latter were several species of iris, of value chiefly for breeding purposes, a 

 native Moroccan grape hyacinth (Muscari sp,, No. 64957), and two rockroses 

 from Spain (Cistus spp., Nos. 65003 and 65004). 



A specially selected collection of citrus-plant material (Citrus spp., Nos. 

 64603 to 64615) from the Botanic Garden at Buitenzorg, Java, was introduced 

 through H. J. Webber, of the College of Agriculture at Berkeley, Calif. This 

 included locally developed varieties and strains of oranges, shaddocks, and 

 citrons, likely to prove of value to the citrus breeders of this country. 



From the little-known region of South Australia has been received a unique 

 collection of native shrubs of ornamental value (Nos. 64476 to 64497, 64798 to 

 64805). Most of these are previously unknown in American horticulture and 

 have not been introduced previously by this office. Among the more inter- 

 esting items may be mentioned Balaustion pulcherrimum (No. 64476), a pros- 

 trate myrtaceous shrub with rich red flowers an inch across, said to be 

 49175—27 1 1 



