14 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



48428 to 48503— Continued. 



An annual erect grass, native to India and used there for fodder. 

 Introducetl elsewhere. (Adapted from Thiselton-Dyer, Flora of Tropical 

 Africu, vol 9, pt 3, p. 420.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 41919. 



48488. TouNATEA MADAGAscARiENsis (Dcsv.) Kuutze. Csesalpiuiacefe. 

 ( Swartzia madagascariensis Desv. ) 



"(No. 147.) N'daale. The pod smells sweet inside, as though con- 

 taining sugar ; it is said to be edible for stock. Lubumbashi River, Bel- 

 gian Kongo." 



An African tree, 15 to 20 feet high, with spreading, horizontal, or 

 even drooping branchlets. The bark is whitish, and the leaves cori- 

 aceous. The space between the outer and inner layers of the coriaceous 

 legume is filled by spongy transverse partitions inclosing resinous gummy 

 matter. (Adapted from Hiern, Catalogue of Welwitsch's African Plants^ 

 pt. 1, p. 286, and Oliver, Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. 2, p. 257.) 



48489. Tricholaena rosea Nees. Poacese. Natal grass. 

 "(No. 127.) Useful hay grass." 



A perennial South African grass which does not survive the winter 

 where the temperature falls much below freezing, so that it is usually 

 cultivated as an annual. The seeds are produced in large clusters about 

 the size and shape of a panicle of oats. In most cases the seed clus- 

 ters are bright red or rosy crimson in color, and for that reason the grass 

 has sometimes been called " redtop." It is, however, very different from 

 the common northern grass known as redtop. The plants are killed by 

 a single plowing, and by keeping the land cultivated in other crops 

 through the whole of a single season all the seeds in the ground will 

 have germinated and the young plants will be killed by cultivation, so 

 Natal grass can not become a troublesome weed. Good Natal grass hay 

 is an excellent feed. The stems and leaves are not tough, are very 

 palatable, and are eaten without waste. The stems are so slender that 

 the hay makes an attractive-looking bale and so sells well on the 

 market. The commercial use of the hay has been developed in the 

 past few years, and wherever offered it usually brings the same price 

 as timothy. It is easily cured, is rich in protein, and the average yield 

 is 2^ to 3 tons per acre or about three-fourths of a ton for each cutting. 

 When planted on favorable soil. Natal grass makes such vigorous 

 growth as to choke out most other grasses and weeds. (Adapted from 

 S. M. Tracy and 0. V. Piper.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 41921. 

 48490 to 48492. Uapaca nitida Muell. Arg. Euphorbiacese. 



48490. "(No. 141.) Musokolohwe. Fruit edible. From Belgian 

 * Kongo." 



A shrub or tree, up to 50 feet high, with an erect trunk and 

 spreading head. The entire rigid, shining leaves are crowded to- 

 ward the ends of the branches. Native to Lower Guinea, Rhodesia, 

 and German East Africa. (Adapted from Thiselton-Dyer, Flora 

 of Tropical Africa, vol. 6, pt. 1, p. 639.) 



48491. "(No. 160.) Musokolohwe (makooba). Fruit edible. From 

 Elizabethville, Belgian Kongo." 



