763 
pronounced; it may be likened, perhaps to that of dried 
apples, but it is somewhat stronger and the aroma is con- 
siderably more penetrating. As well as being eaten in the 
fresh state, the fruit is put to numerous other uses, one 
of the most important of which is the manufacture of a 
distilled liquor known as 'licor de genipapo. ' This 
article retains the peculiar and # distinctive flavor of the 
ripe fruit, and is highly esteemed by the Brazilians. Its 
manufacture is carried on commercially in certain regions. 
A refreshing drink known as 'genipapada' , is also prepared 
from the ripe fruit, with the addition of sugar and water, 
much as lemonade is made in the United States. A dye is 
extracted from the green fruit, which, according to Bar- 
bosa Rodrigues, is employed by the Mundurucu Indians for 
tattooing. It is also used for coloring clothes, straw, 
hammocks, etc. Various medicinal uses are attributed to 
the genipap by the Brazilians; the root is said to be 
purgative, and the juice of the fruit diuretic." (Dorsett, 
Popenoe, and Shamel introduction.) 
Melinis minutiflora. (Poaceae.) 37983. Seeds of capim 
gordura from Sao Joao d'el Rey, Minas, Brazil. Nos. 37983 
to 38041 represent seeds of grasses collected by the 
Brazilian Exploring Expedition at Joazeiro, Sao Joao d'el 
Rey, Januaria, Xique Xique, and other points in Bahia and 
Minas. Among these are various varieties of guinea grass, 
capim d 'Angola, and other forage and pasture grasses, some 
of them flourishing on pure sand, others of very rapid 
growth. (Dorsett, Popenoe, and Shamel introduction.) 
Myrciaria edulis. (Myrtaceae.) 37829. Plants of the 
Cambuca from Rio de Janeiro. Purchased of Eickhoff , Car- 
neiro Leao & Co. "The cambuca, a native of the state of 
Rio de Janeiro, and commonly cultivated in gardens for its 
highly appreciated fruit. In growth the tree is very 
similar to the jabotlcaba, the leaves being considerably 
larger, however, and the bark a darker shade of brown. 
The fruits are produced both on the small limbs and on the 
trunk, though the specimens we have seen do not fruit 
clear down to the ground as the jaboticaba frequently 
does. The season is from February to May in this region. 
In form the fruit is oblate, one and one-half inches in 
length and two inches in breadth, stem practically none, 
the fruits being sessile or nearly so; base flattened, 
calyx persistent, a very small, brown disk not over one- 
eighth inch in diameter, level with the surface of the 
fruit; skin smooth, orange yellow in color, thin, tena- 
cious, fairly tough; flesh divided into two portions, the 
firm outer flesh one-fourth inch thick, leathery, very 
acid in taste, light orange in color, the inner flesh con- 
