10 



PLANT MATERIAL INTRODUCED 



65237 to 65240— Continued. 



65237. Berberis cretica L. 



A low decidu HIS shrub, sometimes prostrate 

 in habit, indigenous to southeastern Europe. 



The very narrow leaves, usually entire, are 

 about half an inch long, the (lowers are yellow, 

 and the globular berries are almost black. 



For previous introduction, see No. 351C2. 



65238. Berberis heteropoda Schrenk. 



As described by Alfred Rehder (Bailey, 

 Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, vol. 1), 

 this is a handsome spreading shrub 3 to 6 feet 

 high, with spines, when present, often 2 inches 

 long; and broadly oval, pale blue-green entire 

 leaves an inch or two in length. The fragrant 

 orange flowers are in five-flowered to seven- 

 flowered lacemes, and the dark-blue berries are 

 coveied with a glaucous bloom. Native to 

 Turkestan. 



For previous introduction, see No. 25567. 



65239. Berberis purpurea egbertii Hort. 



65240. Berberis stenophylt.a Lindl. 



A hybrid between Berberis darwinii and B. 

 cmpetrffolia which first appeared, according to 

 Bean (Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British 

 Isles, vol. 1), in the nursery of Fisher and 

 Holmes, near Sheffield, England, several years 

 ago. As described by Bean it is an evergreen 

 bush about 10 feet high, which forms a dense 

 thicket of slender interlacing stems. The small 

 deep-green leaves are spine tipped, and the small 

 golden yellow flowers are profusely borne in 

 small clusters. The globular fruits are covered 

 with a blue-white bloom. 



For previous introduction, see No. 62756. 



65241 to 65243. 



From Kansu, China. Seeds collected by J. F. 

 Rock, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass. 

 Received November 9, 1925. Notes by Mr. 

 Rock. 



65241. Iris sp. Iridaceae. 



Collected north of Titao, August 30, 1925. 

 A bushy plant, 1 to 2 feet high, found in the 

 meadows along the banks of the Tao River, 

 near Choui, to the Kikonor. It is a very hardy 

 plant and thrives best in well-drained, moist 

 loamy soil. The flowers, of which there are 

 many to a clump, are 3 inches or more in diam- 

 eter, and white, bright blue, or purplish. 



65242. Prinsepia sp. Amygdalaceae. 



August 30. 1925. Ma Teng Ko. A spiny 

 shrub, 5 feet in height, with long semierect 

 branches, found in the Tao River Valley, be- 

 tween Taochow and Titao, and on the Yellow 

 River, near Lanchowfu. The scarlet pendent 

 drupes are edible, having a peppery flavor. 

 It is best suited to well-drained loess soil along 

 river banks and in sandy plains. 



65243. Ailanthus sp. Simaroubaceae. 



September, 1925. This tree, 40 feet in height, 

 is found on the loess plains to the northwest of 

 Lanchow, at Sincheng, on the Yellow River, at 

 an altitude of 5,600 feet, where the winter tem- 

 perature is said to go to —10° F. The bark is 

 light brown, the leaves and leaflets large, and 

 the fruits, produced in large, drooping racemes, 

 are pale yellow when mature. This tree is often 

 planted near temples. 



65244. Corylus sieboldiana mand- 

 shurica (Maxim.) C. Schneid. Betu- 

 laceae. Hazelnut. 



From Harbin, Manchuria. Plants collected by 

 P. H. Dorsett, agricultural explorer, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry. Received November 11, 1925. 



No. 4249. Hsiaoliu. September 30, 1925. Mao 

 cheu tze (hairy hazelnut). (Dorsett.) 



65245. Rtjbtjs sp. Rosaceae. 



From Exeter, England. Plants purchased from 

 Robert Veitch & Son, The Royal Nurseries. 

 Received November 13, 1925. 



The Veitchberry, as described in the 1925 catalog 

 of Laxton Bros. (Bedford. England), is the best of 

 all their berries. The fruits are the color of a well- 

 ripened black mulberry and about twice the size 

 of an ordinary blackberry. The flavor is delicious, 

 resembling that of the blackberry and raspberry 

 combined. It is self-fertile and sets all of its fruits. 

 The bush is semierect, a strong grower, and needs 

 only a stake to support it. Its ripening season is 

 after that of the raspberries and before that of the 

 blackberries. 



65246 to 65269. 



From Darjiling, India. Seeds presented by G. H. 

 Cave, Curator, Lloyd Botanic Garden. Re- 

 ceived October 20, 1925. 



Acacia catechu (L. f.) Wflld. Mimo- 

 saceae. 



The pale-yellow gum obtained from this 

 acacia has very strong adhesive powers and is 

 considered a better substitute for gum arabic 

 than that from Acacia arabica, according to Watt 

 (Dictionary of the Economic Products of India 

 vol. 1). The tree is found wild in parts of India 

 and Burma, where it sometimes becomes 70 feet 

 high, though usually smaller. The leaves are 

 very finely pinnate, and the white or pale-yel- 

 low flowers are in spikes. 



For previous introduction, see No. 61593. 



65247. Alstonia scholarts (L.) R. Br. Apocy- 

 naceae. 



A Himalayan tree, which, as described by 

 Watt (DictionaiT of the Economic Products of 

 India, vol. 1, p. 197), is a tall evergreen tree, 

 widely cultivated throughout India for orna- 

 mental purposes. The tree yields an inferior 

 quality of gutta-percha, and from the bark is 

 obtained a bitter principle known as ditain, 

 which has a medicinal effect similar to that of 

 quinine. 



65248. Alstonia venenata R. Br. Apocyna- 

 ceae. 



Unlike the preceding, Alstonia scholaris (No. 

 65247), this is described by Hooker (Flora of 

 British India, vol. 3, p. 642) as a shrub 6 to 8 

 feet high, with narrow leaves in whorls of four 

 to six. 



Since a number of the Alstonias yield gutta- 

 percha, this Himalayan species will be tested as 

 a possible source of that substance. 



65249. Drimycarpus racemosus (Roxb.) Hook, 

 f. Anacardiaceae. 



A lofty Himalayan tree with large, shining- 

 green leathery leaves sometimes a foot long and 

 red fruits an inch in diameter, produced in 

 axillary clusters. This note is from Hooker's 

 Flora of British India (vol. 2, p. 36), which gives 

 the distribution as the mountains of Sikkim 

 and Bhutan, India. 



65250. Edgeworthia gardneri (Wall.) Meisn. 

 Thymelaeaceae. 



A handsome shrub native to the Himalayas, 

 whose branches are covered with dense clusters 

 of yellow sweet-scented flowers before the leaves 

 appear. The strong tough fiber which is ob- 

 tained from the long straight twigs seems very 

 promising as paper-making material, according 

 to Watt (Dictionary of the Economic Products 

 of India, vol. 3, p. 202). The finest qualities of 

 Nepal paper are made from this plant, according 

 to the same authority. 



For previous introduction, see No. 57887 



