1939 
"The 'frutilla,' as it is called, was not cultivated in Ecuador 
previous to the Conquest. Carcilaso de la Vega recounts that it was 
brought to the highlands of Peru from Chile in 1557, and it probably 
reached Ecuador at an even later date. The native home of the large - 
fruited sorts which are grown in these three countries is somewhere in 
Chile. In 1714 the species was introduced into Europe, through the 
efforts of M. Frezier, a Frenchman who carried plants with him from 
the region of Concepcion, Chile. Up to that time, large-fruited straw- 
berries were not known in Europe. Horticulturists had contented them- 
selves with the native wood strawberry (F. vesca), the Hautbois {F. moschata 
or F. elatior), and the Virginian strawberry (F. virginiana) , which latter was 
not introduced from America until after 1600. All of these are small 
fruited, though of good flavor and quality. By crossing with progeny 
of the plants brought from Chile by M. Frezier, horticultural forms 
were developed which combined large size with delicate flavor, especi- 
ally in those cases where F. virginiana entered into the combination. The 
varieties thus obtained were the progenitors of the cultivated sorts 
now grown not only' in Europe, but also in North America and elsewhere. 
"Plant breeders of the present day are utilizing Fragaria chiloensis 
in the production of new horticultural varieties through crossing with 
cultivated forms as well as wild species. The securing of many differ- 
ent strains of F. chiloensis has become, therefore, a matter of importance. 
Though there is a remarkable lack of apparent variation among the straw- 
berries of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, - only two well-defined forms be- 
ing cultivated, one white fruited, the other red, - it seems reasonable 
to believe that slight variations do occur, and that differences in 
productiveness as well as fruit characteristics may have passed unob- 
served, due to the fact that the cultivated strawberries .of South 
America have received little study. The Office of Foreign Seed and 
Plant Introduction is interested in securing, for the use of plant 
breeders, plants or seeds of F. chiloensis from as many sources as possible. 
(See S.P.I. No. 58024 for other information concerning this plant.)" 
(Wilson Popenoe. ) 
garcinia mangostana (Clusiaceae) , 58027. Mangosteen. From Paris, 
France. Seeds purchased from Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co. "For more than 
twenty years the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction has been 
interested in the establishment of the Asiatic mangosteen, reputed to 
be the 'Queen of Fruits, 1 in the tropical American dependencies of the 
United States. Dr. David Fairchild, who investigated its cultural re- 
quirements in Ceylon, Siam, Cochin China and Java, reached the conclusion 
that 'the acclimatization of the mangosteen on the Island of Porto 
Rico, and in many other parte of tropical America, is a possibility, 
and that the principal difficulties of its culture have probably arisen 
from an ignorance of the soil conditions demanded by the plant.' 
