142 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



38525 and 38526. Annona sp^p. Annonacese. 



From Pretoria, Union of South Africa. Presented by Mr. I. B. Pole Evans, 

 chief. Division of Botany, Department of Agriculture, Received June 

 11, 1914. 



38525. Annona senegalensis Pers. Anona. 

 Fresh seeds collected by Dr. Medley Wood, of the Natal Herbarium, 



Durban." (Pole Evans.) 



''Annona senegalensis Pers. is remarkably variable, occurring some- 

 times as a small shrub less than a meter high, and sometimes as a large 

 tree. The flowers are 6 petaled, with the inner petals narrow, connivent, 

 their tips meeting above the center of the gynoecium. The seeds are 

 small, oblong, hard, smooth, and glossy, with relatively large caruncles 

 at the base, somewhat like those of A. cornifolia and A. nutans of south- 

 ern Brazil and Paraguay. It is possible that the species A. senegalensis 

 as now understood may be found to be composed of several species." 

 (Safford, Classification of Annona.) 



38526. Annona cherimola Miller. Cherimoya. 

 " Seeds of the cultivated variety grown by Mr. TroUope, Wonder- 

 boom, Pretoria, Pretoria district. Although of fair size, it is not abnor- 

 mal by any means, as fruits up to 21 pounds in weight are not altogether 

 uncommon. The variety in question is unnamed and was grown from 

 seed of a specimen brought to Durban from India, which country may 

 be set down as the home of the fruit. The custard-apple has a very 

 wide range in South Africa; it is grown successfully in the warmer 

 districts of the Transvaal, Natal, and Cape Provinces, and may be 

 found from Louis Trichardt in the north to the district of George on 

 the south coast. Propagation is simple, as the tree grows readily from 

 seed, but (as in the case of most other fruits) it can not be depended 

 upon to reproduce itself true from seed ; recourse therefore is had to 

 grafting, and this is accomplished usually by much the same method 

 as the Western Province farmer employs in grafting his grapevines ; the 

 scions are inserted in the stocks and the whole covered over with soil. 

 It appears to be immaterial whether the grafting is done below, on a 

 lev,el with the surface, or above the ground, as long as the scion is 

 covered and kept fairly moist for the first week or two. From what 

 may be gathered from Indian writers on the subject, it would appear 

 that the custard-apple tree has a decided weakness for growing out of 

 cracks and crannies in rocks, old walls, and other similar situations. 

 Possibly in the wild state this may be the case, and so, assuming the 

 correctness of this statement, one is prepared to read that ' a deep stony 

 soil is generally suitable, but alluvial produces good specimens.' From 

 w^hat the writer has seen in South Africa, both the best-grown trees 

 and the finest fruit are produced in the deep free loams, such as may be 

 found along the Magaliesberg Mountains in the Transvaal and in any 

 other parts both of the Cape and Natal. It is necessary, however, for 

 the tree to succeed that a frostless situation be selected in which to 

 plant it ; that plenty of room be allowed for the spread of its roots and 

 branches; and that it receive such attention with the pruning shears 

 and cultivator as is meted out to any other fruit tree when planted in 

 orchard form. When single trees are grown in a garden it may be 

 possible to afford them plenty of liquid cow manure, and to this par- 

 ticular dressing they seem to respond more readily than to any other. 



