JUNE 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1920. 



3 



tant article of food on the western slopes of the Cordillera Oriental. 

 These seeds are sometimes 2 inches long and when cooked are more 

 agreeable in flavor and more delicate than the ordinary bean. 



So little has been done in the way of selecting superior seedlings 

 of the tropical fruits that Mr. Popenoe's discovery of a variety of 

 the soursop {Annona muricata^ No. 51050). which is more produc- 

 tive than the ordinary seedling and has unusually handsome fruits, 

 will interest tropical horticulturists generalh'. 



J. A. Hamilton, of Cairns, northern Queensland, Australia, be- 

 lieves his new Improved Dwarf Lima bean {Phaseolus lunatus^ No. 

 50999) is better adapted to subtropical regions than Burpee's Bush 

 Lima. 



Dr. Proschowsky, of Nice, France, sends in Alectryon subcinereum 

 (No. 51000), a relative of the lychee; he suggests that it may prove 

 a good stock for that valuable Chinese fruit tree. 



Mr. Macmillan sends in seeds of the giant bamboo {Dendro- 

 caLamus giganteus, No. 51026) of the Malay Peninsula, which grows 

 more than 100 feet tall and 30 inches in circumference. As it seeds 

 very infrequently, this variety should now be given a thorough trial 

 in southern Florida. 



Mr. Poynton, of Auckland, New Zealand, presents seeds of the 

 pohutukawa tree {Metrosideros tomentosa^ No. 51048) which grows 

 on the shores of the North Island. Its thick evergreen leaves with- 

 stand salt spray renaarkably well, and in the New Zealand summer 

 the plant is covered with a profusion of scarlet blossoms. It should 

 be useful on the shores of California. 



There is something peculiarly romantic in Mr. Poynton's story of 

 how the beautiful puka tree {Meryta Sinclair li^ No. 51049) of New 

 Zealand was saved, after it had become so nearly extinct that there 

 remained only 27 plants of it on some small islands in the Hauraki 

 Gulf; aU the trees now planted in the parks and gardens of that 

 country came from cuttings of these specimens. It has the largest 

 leaves of any plant in New Zealand. 



Ornamental-berried house plants which will keep their freshness 

 and their show of fruits for a long time are not common, and Mr, 

 Johnson may have found a new one in his as yet undetermined 

 species of Ardisia (No. 51052) from Alta Vera Paz, Guatemala. 

 Mr. Johnson's introduction of two new species of the true pepper 

 (Nos. 51059 and 51060), which have a slightly diJfferent flavor from 

 that of the cormnercial species,./^. 7iigr-u??i, may have some economic 

 importance for tropical horticulture. 



The passifloras, or passion fruits, form a fascinating field for the 

 plant breeder, and it is hard to understand why no one has studied 

 them, especially since there are forms like Passiflora macrocarpa 



