30 BULLETIN 271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF IU 
sive sae about which the pinnee fall into four rather regular ranks, with the valley 
of the blade broad. In the apical portion, the pine fall mostly into two ranks, lying 
nearly parallel at an axial divergence of about 45° 
The fruits are 24 inches long, 14 inches broad a little above the middle, and taper 
_ to a narrower base and an obtuse aed (fig. 7). Their color is eee ripening to a 
dull “bay” (R. ID, with the basal portion ‘ ‘honey yellow” or ‘‘Isabella color” 
(R. XXX). The rather soft flesh is a du!l amber color, the inner natige satiny white 
with a large amount of tough fibrous ‘‘rag.’’ The flavor is so rich as to be rather cloy- 
ing, though of a quality which would be attractive to many people. The rather 
broad oval seed is about 1 inch long, corrugated, the germ pore placed somewhat 
apically, the ventral furrow being narrow and shallow. 
From its large size, fine appearance, and rich flavor this little-known date is worthy 
of a careful trial, though before it could be ranked as a first-class variety cultural 
conditions andl have to be developed which would eliminate uae large amount of 
tough fiber. 
SAIDY. 
(Saidi, Wahi.) 
Trees with heavy trunks and stiffly spreading leaves 10 to 14 feet long (Pl. IV, fig. 1), 
- the heavy ribs with very broad bases.' There is a space of clear petiole of 12 to 15 
inches below the first spines. The rib 1s strongly rounded dorsally and tapers but 
slowly, its outcurve being stiff rather than graceful. 
The spine area is from 24 to 34 feet, ie spines of medium eee or quite heavy, 
placed singly and rather scattered, from 2 inches long below to 7 or 8 inches in the upper 
area, and passing into a stiff ribbon pinne or spike pinnz 20 to 24 inches long and 
one-half to three-fourths of an inch wide. The normal pinne following these at 4 to 
5 feet are 20 to 24 inches long and 14 to 12 inches wide, but dropping steadily in length 
to 12 to 14 inches near the apex. Their greatest width of 14 to 12 inches is reached at 
about three-fourths of the blade length from the base. The pulvini are unusually 
heavy, deeply cream colored, or slightly brownish in exposed places. The pinnz 
are rather coarse and harsh, 0.018 to 0.019 of an inch or sometimes 0.025 of an inch 
thick and conspicuously bluish green with a heavy waxy bloom. This bluish-green 
color is very noticeable when the leaves are seen in a mass. 
The 4-ranked arrangement of the pinnz is conspicuous, and the narrow axial angles 
and strong angles with the blade plane formed by the lower antrorse pinne give the 
leaf a bristling and formidable appearance. The valley is close and narrow nearly 
to the apex of the blade. The pinne groups are of the normal types till quite near the. 
apex, and the paired groups of the antrorse-retrorse type are largely in the majority. 
The orange-yellow fruit stalks are strikingly long, of medium weight, or rather heavy 
in some cases. 
The fruit ? is 14 to 18 inches long, seven-eighths of an-inch to 1 inch broad, blocky, 
with broad square base rounding to a broad obtuse apex (Pl. XIII). The skin is 
rather coarsely wrinkled both longitudinally and transversely and partially loosened 
from the flesh. The darker portions of the flesh have a translucent appearance and 
are nearest to ‘liver brown’”’ (R. XIV) in color, with a delicate lavender bloom. 
A basal zone of about one-fourth the length of the fruit is a “tawny olive’’ (R. 
X XIX) and is opaque in appearance. The flesh is three-sixteenths of an inch thick, 
firm, slightly granular, somewhat sticky; an outer zone of one-third of the thickness 
is of the exterior color, while the nearly transparent inner portion is close to “olive 
ocher,’’ (R. XXX) with a little more suggestion of green. 
The flavor is heavily sweet, rich, and a little cloying, but of the quality usually 
sought after by date purchasers in this country. After being packed seven months 
1 Notes made near the Temple of Nadurah, Khargeh Oasis, October 8, 1913. 
2 Described from fruit packed in cartons at Sheik Abu Bakr’s, Rashida, Dakhleh Oasis, Oct. 18, 1913, 
