Fragaria vesca semperflorens (Rosaceae), 54996. Straw- 
berry. From Edinburgh, Scotland. Seeds presented by- 
Prof. Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden. This 
variety differs from the type (Fragaria vesea,tlie common 
wood strawberry of Europe) In the greater size of all 
its parts - the fruit in particular, - and especially 
in its habit of producing flowers and fruit continu- 
ously throughout the summer. In its red color and 
delicate flavor the fruit is quite similar to that of 
the type. (Adapted from Robinson, The Vegetable Gar- 
den, p. 673.) 
Introduced for the use of strawberry breeders. 
Girardinia palmata (Urticaceae) , 55001. Prom Sibpur, 
near Calcutta, India. Seeds presented by Lieut. Col. 
A. T. Gage, director, Royal Botanic Garden. A stout, 
erect, tufted plant, 4 to 6 feet in height, growing 
commonly in the temperate and subtropical regions of 
the Himalayas, where it ascends to 5,000 feet above 
the sea. It is generally known as the "Nllghiri net- 
tle," and Is of considerable importance in its native 
country because of the fiber obtained from its stalks. 
This fiber is very long, white, soft and silky, and is 
used for making fine fabrics and for mixing with wool. 
While the plant is described as an annual, it has 
proved, under cultivation, to be a perennial; the young 
shoots are cut down twice a year for their fiber. The 
leaves of this species are used as a vegetable among 
the hills of the Northwest Provinces. (Adapted from 
Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products of India, 
vol. 3, p. 500.) 
Gossypium anomalum (Malvaceae), 55410. Cotton. From 
Asmara, Eritrea. Presented by the director, Eritrea 
Colonization Service. "This cotton has a short staple, 
but it is soft and shining like silk. It is used by 
native textile workers." (Tancredi, Notizie e Studi 
sulla Colonia Eritrea, p. 110.) 
According to one authority this is the only truly 
wild cotton in Africa; it has been found in Angola and 
also in the Anglo -Egyptian Sudan. It forms a shrub 5 
to 10 feet in height, with rough branches, reddish 
flowers, and oval capsules, about an inch in length. 
(Adapted from Oliver, Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. 
1, p. 211.) 
HiMseus sp. (Malvaceae), 55166-55211. From Hono- 
lulu, Hawaii. Cuttings secured by Mrs. J. Rappe Myers, 
