UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



INVENTORY No. 86 



Washington, D. C. T Issued August, 1928 



PUNT MATERIAL INTRODUCED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN PLANT 

 INTRODUCTION, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 

 31, 1926 (F. P. I. NOS. 65708 TO 66698) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introductory statement 1 



Inventory .- 3 



Index of common and scientific names. 47 



INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT 



NEARLY a thousand introductions are included in the present inventory, 

 representing practically all classes of economic plants and drawn from 

 nearly every corner of the globe. 



From the cold region of Manchuria in northeastern China quantities of interest- 

 ing plant material have continued to come in as the result of agricultural explora- 

 tions of that Province by P. H. Dorsett. As in the preceding inventory, this 

 material includes locally developed types of practically all of the well-known 

 fruits, vegetables, and cereals, and should be of unusual value to crop specialists 

 and plant breeders in the northernmost parts of the United States. 



In the subtropical Province of Kwangtung, southeastern China, F. A. McClure 

 has continued his explorations. Among his collections are seeds of Eremochloa 

 ophiuroides (No. 65839), a deep-green, medium coarse, low-growing grass con- 

 sidered to be the best lawn grass for that region. It becomes 3 to 4 inches high, 

 has smooth soft blades, and propagates easily by runners. Previous introduc- 

 tions of this grass have done well in the Gulf coast area and promise well for 

 pasture and lawn purposes. Further introductions are for the purposes of getting 

 a more hardy strain which will continue green throughout the winter period and 

 thus afford a better lawn grass, and also to get more vigorous strains for use in 

 pasture lands. 



Material of two local varieties of the Chinese hairy chestnut (Castanea mol- 

 lissima, Nos. 65805 and 65806) was also obtained by Mr. McClure; these will be 

 of special interest for the use of plant breeders who are attempting to find blight- 

 resistant chestnut strains for the United States. Other chestnut introductions 

 included in this inventory will also be of interest for the same reason. Four 

 samples of Castanea were sent in from Nanking, China — C. henryi (Nos. 65715 

 and 66036), C. mollissima (No. 66037), and C. seguinii (No. 66038). 



Seeds of an evergreen chinquapin (Castanopsis hystrix, No. 65759) were presented 

 by the Lloyd Botanic Garden, Darjiling, India. This is a tall tree with small 

 nuts. Its chief value is as a timber tree for subtropical regions. 



Forage-crop specialists will be interested in a number of introductions from 

 Morocco and the Canary Islands which were sent in by David Fairchild during his 

 visits to those countries. Four local strains of vetch (Vicia sativa, Nos. 66016 to 

 66019) were collected in different parts of Morocco. From the same country a 

 number of grasses were obtained, including Avena barbata and A. sterilis (Nos. 

 66004 and 66005), Hyparrhenia hirta (No. 66008), and Triticum ovatum (No. 

 66015). Calopogonium mucunoides (No. 66085), which is being used successfully 



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