48 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



for carpentry and even for cabinetmaking ; the bark is employed in tanning; 

 and silkworms relish the leaves. Native to moist situations in central Chile, 

 where it ascends co nearly 4,000 feet. (Adapted from Kew Bulletin of Mis- 

 cellaneous Information, 1907, p. 13, and Curtis' s Botanical Magazine, pi. 8115.) 



54304. Gladiolus alatus L. Iridaceae. 



From Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa. Seeds presented by I. B. Pole 

 Evans, chief, Division of Botany. Received September 26, 1921. 



A very interesting little South African plant with flowers of a delightful 

 fragrance not unLke that <t the sweetbrier ; the three upper petals are bright 

 orange-scarlet, the three lower ones are yellowish tipped with orange-scarlet. 

 The bulbs are not larger than ordinary peas and can not remain long out 

 of ground. (Adapted from Allen, Bulbs and Tuherous- Rooted Plants, p. 105.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 44722. 



54305. Paullinta cupana Kunth. Sapindaceae. 



From Para Valley, Para, Brazil. Seeds presented by A. Law Vcge, through 

 J. A. McCutchin, Federal Horticultural Board. Received September 

 16, 1921. 



" The seed requires three months to germinate and should be planted in 

 clay soil mixed with sand, half and half. They are very delicate, being killed 

 in two days when exposed to dryness. About 74 per cent of seeds, preserved 

 in water for two weeks, germinated, although fermentation had set in. The 

 plant is naturally a vine, though in commercial plantings in Brazil it is trained 

 as a bush. It requires shade while young. The plant has the highest per- 

 centage of caffein of any plant known." (Voge.) 



From this species is obtained guarana, which is used not only as a remedy 

 for intestinal trouble but also as a very powerful stimulant that enables one to 

 endure almost superhuman fatigue. Guarana is a black paste, extracted from 

 the seeds of the grapelike fruits found growing along the upper Tapajoz, and 

 in the valley of the Orinoco in Venezuela. 



In November the fruits mature; the moist soft seeds are carefully removed 

 and spread in the sun to dry. A few hours are sufficient to give them a flinty 

 brittleness. The kernels are then reduced to powder; and, with the addition 

 of a little water or by exposure to the damp air of the swamps, a thick paste 

 is obtained, which is molded into cylinders about an inch in diameter and 6 

 inches long. The dry cylinder assumes an almost mineral hardness. This is 

 the guarana of commerce. When powdered it ferments rapidly and its me- 

 dicinal properties come into play. 



The Indians also utilize the roots and leaves of the Paullinia for the making 

 of inferior grades of guarana. Even the blossoms are burned and the ashes 

 yield still another variety known as " guarana putira," or " guarana flor." 

 The Indians and whites who use guarana file a small portion from the cylinder, 

 dissolve it in water, and drink it. The whites generally add sugar to neutralize 

 the bitter taste of caffein. The chief medicinal value of guarana is its salutary 

 action on the intestinal secretions when taken in small and not too frequent 

 doses. Repeated doses result in a general breakdown of the nervous system. 



Analysis of 100 grams of guarana. 



Grams. 

 5. 388 

 2. 950 

 7.800 

 1. 570 



.060 

 5. 902 

 . 2. 750 

 9. 350 



.777 

 7. 470 

 49. 125 

 7. 650 



Caffein 



Essential oil 



Resin 



Coloring matter 



Saponin 



Guarana-tannic acid 



Pyro-guarana acid 



Starch 



Glucose 



Pectic acid, malic acid, dextrin, etc. 



Vegetable fiber 



Water 



