36 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



35039. Cymbopetalum penduliflorum (Dun.) BaiUon. 



Sacred ear flower. 



From Guatemala, Guatemala. Presented by Mr. George A. Bucklin, American 

 consul general. Received March 13, 1913. 

 ' ' Orejuela.' ' A very interesting annonaceous plant, the flowers jI which when dried 

 were used by the Aztecs to flaA'or their chocolate, and the identity of which has but 

 recently been discovered by Mr. W. E. Safford, of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 

 For a full accoimt, see the annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1910, 

 pages 427 to 431. 



35040. BoRAssus flabellifer L. Palmyra palm. 



From Madras, India. Presented by Mr. H. E. Houghton, superintendent, Agri- 

 Horticultural Society of Madras, through Mr. Jos6 de OUvares, American con- 

 sul. Received March 14, 1913. 



"An erect palm, 60 to 70 feet high, with a stout trunk and fan-shaped leaves, indi- 

 genous to the dry region of Ceylon, India, and Africa. It is naturally suited to a 

 rather dry climate; is extensively cultivated for the fruit and leaves. The large 

 black fruits are borne in a cluster at the base of the leaves. The nut contains a re- 

 freshing sap much relished as a cooling drink. The kernels or young seeds are much 

 used as an article of food, being sold in large quantities in the bazaars during the 

 months of April and May. The sap obtained from the flower spathes is collected 

 in large quantities and either fermented and made into 'ioddy' or 'arrack' (an intoxi- 

 cating drink) or boiled down for making sugar or jaggery. The leaf blades are used 

 for making fans, baskets, buckets, etc., while the leafstalks and midribs fiunish an 

 excellent brush fiber, which forms an article of export. To obtain the latter, the 

 trees are stripped of all but three leaves once in two years. The trunk yields a hard 

 and most durable timber and the husks are in demand for fuel. Among palms in 

 the East the Palmyra ranks next in importance to the coconut, and the area under 

 cultivation in Ceylon is estimated at approximately 40,000 acres, while that in Tin- 

 nevelly is said to be about 60,000 acres. It is propagated from seed, which is sown 

 in situ in holes made in sandy soil. In about 10 years from sowing the palms should 

 be in flower, when they may be used for drawing toddy and making sugar. "WTien, 

 grown for fruit, .an average return of about 3,500 nuts per acre may be obtained." 

 {Macmillan, Handbook of Tropical Gardening.) 



Distribution. — A tall palm often 70 feet high, cultivated throughout India and 

 eastward through the Malay Archipelago; also in tropical Africa. 



35041. Lansium domestichm Jack. Duku. 



From Bjiitenzorg, Java. Presented by the director, Botanic Garden. Received 

 March 14, 1913. 

 For pre\dou3 introduction, see S. P. I. No. 34976. 



35042. Mammea aiviericana L. Mammee. 

 From Santa Fe, Isle of Pines. Presented by Mrs. E. A. Haines. Received 



March 5, 1913. 



35043. XmENiA caffra Sond. 



From South Africa. Presented by Mr. J. Biu:tt Davy, government agrostolo- 

 gist and botanist. Union of South Africa, Department of Agriculture, Pre- 

 toria. Received March 15, 1913. 

 ''Zuur jyruim. An edible fruit useful for jellies. It grows in semiarid, subtropical 

 localities, such as the Transvaal bush veld." {Davy.) 

 See S. P. I. No. 27015 for previous introduction. 



