10 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



52893 and 52894— Continued. 



furnishes 1 kilogram (2^ pounds) at a single picking, 44 large succulent 

 leaves, 20 to 30 centimeters long. It loses only one-fourth of its we.ght 

 in cooking, while common spinach loses three-fourths of its weight and 

 requires 300 leaves to make a kilogram. It makes a delicious salad. 

 The plant is very hardy and easy to cultivate in any climate. The seeds 

 can be sown at the end of February in northern Europe, and the plant 

 thrives as well as it does in warm countries. The leaves are ready 

 for picking two months after sowing, and on fertile soil the plant will 

 yield all summer; any surplus can be fed to animals. 



" The seeds, milled and bolted into flour, make an excellent feed. The 

 analysis of the seeds shows the following percentages: Protein, 24.62; 

 fat, 6; sugar and starch, 53.70; cellulose, 1.92; mineral matter, 3.46; 

 water, 10.30. In Mexico this brown flour is used to make cakes. 



" The stalks can be used for the extraction of cellulose and the manu- 

 facture of paper. An analysis of the dried stalks shows percentages as 

 follows : Protein, 3 ; fat, 1.20 ; sugar and starch, 35.50 ; cellulose, 46.04 ; 

 mineral matter, 5.16; water, 9.10." 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 2003. 



52894. PoLYMNiA EDULis Wedd. Asteraceje. 



" Tubers of a strong herbaceous plant, very decorative with its tall 

 stalks 1 5 meters high, beautiful foliage, and yellow, autumnal flowers. 

 The numerous, clustered, clean tubers are white, almost transparent, 

 excessively sweet, and have a slight pear flavor. They are eaten raw 

 in their native country, where they are keenly relished. The leaves, 

 stalks, and tubers are greedily eaten by animals. The enormous quantity 

 of sugar in the tubers yields three times as much alcohol as can be dis- 

 tilled from the Irish potato. Molasses can also be made from the tubers. 

 A half-decayed tuber grew a plant which bore 32 tubers 15 to 20 centi- 

 meters long, weighing 3 kilograms. 



" This hardy plant occurs wild and is also cultivated in the Andes 

 Mountains. In Algeria irrigation is necessary. In any case, half of 

 the foliage can be used during the summer for feed. At harvest the 

 tubers are stored in a cellar. The plant is easily lifted from the soil 

 and is superior to the Jerusalem artichoke and the sunflower in that it 

 leaves nothing behind." 



52895 to 52897. 



From Kulara, Queensland, Australia. Seeds presented by J. A. Hamilton. 

 Received April 14, 1921. 



52895. Albizzia lophantha (Willd.) Benth. Mimosaceae. 



A rapid-growing tree from Western Australia. The bark contains 8 



per cent of tannin and the dry root 10 per cent of saponin. Cattle 



browse on the leaves. (Adapted from Maiden, Useful Native Plants of 

 Australia, pp. Ill, 315, and 537.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 8243. 



52896. Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl) Reissek. Rhamnacese. 



A tree 50 feet high, one of the characteristic trees of the Brigalow 

 scrubs of New South Wales, Queensland, and northern Australia, with 

 hard close-grained durable wood which takes a high polish ; it is suitable 

 for gunstocks, coopers' staves, and for indoor purposes. The wood is 

 tough and warps in drying; near the outside it is pinkish and the inner 

 wood is dark brown. The bark is occasionally used for tanning. 

 (Adapted from Maiden, Useful Native Plants of Australia, p. 373.) 



52897. Pleiogynium solandki (Benth.) Engl. Anacardiacese. i 

 (Spondias pleiogyna F. Muell.) 



A tree native to Queensland; the hard dark-brown wood with red 

 markings resembles that of the American walnut. The grain is fairly 

 close and splits quite straight. It is an excellent wood for the joiner or 

 cabinetmaker and is also suitable for turnery. (Adapted from Maiden, 

 Useful Native Plants of Australia, p. 599.) 



