34 BULLETIN 445, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
cles may prove valuable, however, as a wet-land stock for the cheri- 
moya or for breeding purposes. 
THE IMBU. 
Among the drought-resistant plants of the caatinga or semiarid — 
section of interior Bahia, the imbt (Spondias tuberosa Arruda) is of 
particular interest. It is abundant and highly appreciated, not only 
in the interior of Bahia State, but also in Pernambuco and other 
sections of northeastern Brazil. To the natives it is a most important 
article of diet, taking the place of the cultivated fruits which are so 
common around the city of Bahia, but in the interior found only 
in the gardens of the better classes. During the ripening season 
imbtis may be had for the gathering. Natives go out from every 
village into the surrounding caatinga, often to a distance of several 
miles, and bring in bushels of the fruit on their burros or diminutive 
ponies, consuming much of it immediately, but not forgetting to 
store away an abundance in the form of jam or jelly for the time 
to come when the imbti can not be obtained. In all the towns and 
villages along the Rio Sao Francisco, in Bahia State, imbtis are 
plentiful in the markets, and the ground around the market places 
is often literally covered with the skins and seeds. A basket con- 
taining a quarter peck or more of the fruit can neta be purchased 
for 2 or 3 cents. 
The imbt tree (Pl. XXI) is distinguishable from other growths 
on the caatinga by its low, spreading head, sometimes 30 feet in diam- 
eter. Its fruit is produced on slender stems, mainly toward the ends 
of the branches. Some trees are so productive that the fruit, when 
allowed to fall, forms a carpet of yellow upon the ground. 
In general appearance the imbt (Pl. X XII) may be likened to a 
greengage plum. It isoval, about an inch and a half in length, shghtly 
less in breadth, and light greenish yellow when ripe. The skin is 
somewhat thicker than that of a plum, with the result that it is not 
eaten along with the pulp. The flavor of the soft, melting, almost 
liquid pulp is suggestive of a sweet orange. It is frequently eaten 
before fully ripe and soft, when it is rather acid, though not dis- 
agreeably so. The seed, oblong and about three-fourths of an inch 
in length, is difficult to sepazaie from the inner pulp which ad- 
heres to it. 
The natives of the interior will often tell one that there are several 
varieties of the imbt, one being round, another oblong,andsoon, The 
fact is that seedling variation results in the fruit of every tree being 
different from its neighbors in some minor characteristic of size, 
form, or flavor. No doubt the fruit could be greatly improved by 
selection, even in a few generations. 
