724 
springing open and scattering their seeds when ripe. On 
very dry and exposed places the plants make but small 
growth, but where found on moister places and between 
grasses, they supply quite a mass of herbage, which is 
eagerly eaten by all grazing animals. This alfalfa is 
found at elevations from 2000 to 8000 feet, making a much 
more abundant growth in the higher mountain regions than 
on the lower plains. Of decided value as a forage plant 
on ranges and grazing grounds. Might be found valuable 
enough even to be grown in congenial localities for hay 
and for green fodder." (Meyer's introduction.) For distri- 
bution later. 
Myrciaria cauliflora. (Myrtaceae.) 36702, 36709, 36888, 
Seeds of the jaboticaba from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
"Among the fruit trees cultivated in gardens about Rio de 
Janeiro the . Jaboticaba is one of the commonest, and cer- 
tainly one of the most beautiful. The largest trees are 
thirty to forty feet in height and fully forty feet in 
spread, with dense, umbrageous, dome-shaped heads of light 
green foliage. The Individual leaves vary in size accord- 
ing to the variety, some being three inches in length 
while others are not more than two, oblong-lanceolate in 
form, glossy, light green in color, usually pink in the 
young stage The. trunk of the tree is oftentimes very 
large, one specimen that we measured being 80 inches in 
circumference at the base, and usually branches close to 
the ground. The bark is smooth, grayish-brown in color, 
reminding one of the bark of the guava and other myrta- 
ceous fruits . 
"The name jaboticaba is a Tupi word, spelled by some 
authorities jdbuticaba; this name is applied only to the 
fruit, the suffix 'eira' being added to signify the tree, 
making the word ' jaboticabeira ' , or jabotlcaba-tree . The 
name is usually pronounced here at Rio as though spelled 
ja-bu-ti-ca-ba, with accent on the fourth syllable. 
"The tree flowers in May and June, and the fruit rip- 
ens in October and November. As signified by the specific 
name, cauliflora, the fruits are produced on the old wood, 
and we have seen many trees whose trunks were literally 
covered with fruits down to within two or three feet of 
the ground. The fruiting is not confined, however, to the 
large wood, but extends clear out to the ends of the 
smallest branches; the fruits are sessile or nearly so, 
and a tree covered with them from the ground to the ends 
of the small limbs presents a rather unusual appearance, 
to say the least. 
"Pour varieties are offered by the nurserymen here, 
but do not seem to be recognized by the people in the ru- 
ral districts. They come from different parts of Brazil, 
