72 



SELECT PLANTS READILY ELIGIBLE 



quality of the roots, and the degi*ee of facility of their field 

 cultivation, require to be more ascertained. 



Dioscorea sativa, Linne. 



South Asia, east as far as Japan, also in the South Sea 

 Islands, and North and tropical East Australia, like^vise re- 

 corded from tropical Africa. Stem cylindrical, not prickly. 

 The acrid root requires soaking before boiling. It has proved 

 hardy in the Southern States of North America. 



Dioscorea spicata, Roth. 



India, Root used like those of other species. 



Dioscorea tomentosa, Koenig. 



Ooyala Yam. India. The nomenclature of some of the 

 Asiatic sjDecies requires further revision. 



Dioscorea trifida, Linne fil. 



Central America. One of the Yams there cultivated. 

 Various other tuberous Dioscoreje occur in tropical countries; 

 but their respective degree of liardiness, taste and yield are 

 not recorded or ascertained. The length of the Victorian 

 warm season is probably sufficient for ripening all these 

 Yams. 



Diospysos Ebenum, Koenig.* 



Ceylon, where it furnishes the best kind of Ebony- wood. It 

 is not uncommon up to 5000 feet in that island, according to 

 Dr. Thwaites, hence I would recommend this large and 

 valuable tree for test plantations in East Gippsland and in 

 other lowland forest-regions of our colony, where also D. 

 qusesita and D. oppositifolia (Thwaites), the best Calamander 

 trees and D. Melanoxylon, should be tried. Many other 

 species of Diospyros could probably be introduced from the 

 mountains of various tropical regions, either for the sake of 

 their ebonj^-like wood or theii- fruit. Black Ebony-v^ood 

 sinks in water. The price in England ranges fi'om £8 to 

 £10 per ton, from 700 to 1000 tons being imported into 

 Britain annuall}^ for pianoforte-keys, the string-holders of 

 musical instruments and other select purj^oses. The 

 following species yield Ebony-wood, according to Hiern, some 

 of which may prove hardy. Indian : D. Ebenum Koen., 

 D. melanoxylon Roxb., D. silvatica Roxb., D. Gardneri Thw.^ 

 D. hirsuta L. fil., D. discolor, Willd., D. Embryopteris Pers., 

 D. Ebenaster Retz., D. montana Roxb., D. insignis Thw., 

 D. Tupru Hamilt., D. truncata Zoll., D. ramifiora Wall.; 

 African: D. Dendo Welw., D. mespiliformis Hochst.; 

 Mauritius : D. tesselaria Poii-et ; Madagascar : D. haplostylis 

 Boivin, D. microrhombus Hiern. 



