Pomona College Journal op Economic Botany 469 



Ism'aU Qadri, (name of a man), a scarce Baghdad dry date which is 

 also eaten in the rutab stage, and is esteemed. Bears well, late in August. 

 Size large, color yellow, sometimes with a reddish-brown tinge. 



Ja'afari, "Refined Gold" (also a man's name), a rare and bad dry date 

 of the Baghdad district. Yellow in color; so astringent that it is eaten only 

 by camels. 



Jamdl al Din, "The Beauty of Religion," a Mandali date, which some 

 connoisseurs esteem the best of that oasis, very rare at Baghdad. It is the 

 earliest of the choice Mandali dates to mature (August), and is usually eaten 

 fresh, but occasionally preserved in skins. Light brown in color, fairly large 

 in size. There is said to be no commerce in this variety, but wealthy pro- 

 prietors at Mandali each have a few trees for their own use. 



Jauzi, "Like an English Walnut," a name which well describes both shape 

 and color. An excellent dry date of the Baghdad district, not eaten in its 

 soft state; bears heavily, shortly after midseason. Not very common. It is 

 sometimes called Finduqieh, or vulgarly Binduqieh. 



Form broadly oval to almost spherical, widest near center. Base rounded, 

 apex blunt to rounded. Size medium large, one and one-fourth to one and 

 three-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth to one and one-fourth inches 

 wide. Surface very rough, hard, dry, yellowish brown in color tinged with 

 magenta ; bloom unnoticeable. Skin medium thick, tough, deeply and coarsely 

 wrinkled but adhering to flesh except for an occasional blister around apical 

 end. Flesh very solid but not mealy, one-fourth inch thick, translucent 

 brownish amber close to skin, creamy white toward seed; white portion three- 

 fourths of whole. Seed broadly oblong, plump, three-fourths inch long, three- 

 eighths broad, both ends broadly pointed ; smooth, russet, ventral channel 

 closed. Flavor sweet, nutty, mild and rich. The fruit varies considerably, 

 however, and very inferior dates of this variety are sometimes found in the 

 bazar. 



Kdkdwdni, also spelled Kikawani and Chichawani, a variety mentioned 

 by Ghanimeh but unknown to me. The name is Persian ; a lexicographer says 

 it means ' ' excellent ; applied to dates which have no seed. ' ' This is confirmed 

 by Al Hamdani, who gives in his "Description of Arabia" (10th century) a 

 list of Busreh dates and among them : " Al Sisa, and it is called by the Persians 

 Kika and Chicha and by the Arabs Al Fakhir (the fine) and probably it has 

 a defective seed * * which can be eaten." I suspect that this variety 

 is merely a Shis [An unfertilized or unpollinated date. — Ed.]. 



Kand Kdivi, "The Bull's Penis" (Persian), a variety of which I heard 

 the name only. 



Khaldseh, "Quintessence," the date of Hasa in Arabia, considered by 

 Persian Gulf Arabs to be the finest in the world. It is extremely rare at 

 Baghdad ; at Busreh it is being planted a little more extensively of late years, 

 but is not yet common. The quality of the fruit at Busreh is rather inferior ; 



