1515 
Protea lepidoearpodendron (Proteaceae), 48184. Prom 
St. Vincent, Cape Verde Islands. Seeds collected by 
Dr. H. L. Shantz, agricultural explorer. "No. 27. 
This is one of the most striking plants of the genus. 
The unusually beautiful flowers are grouped into large 
heads 3 inches long, and when open are 4 to 6 inches 
across. The black- tipped , light purple bracts, which 
appear like velvety petals fringed with long black 
silky hairs, produce a very pleasing effect; I doubt 
if a more attractive ornamental could be grown. This 
plant grows well from seed. It should grow in the 
leached soils of Southern California; there is, how- 
ever, little lime in the soil where it grows natural- 
ly, and it should be tried in acid soil." (Shantz.) 
Raphia vinifera (Phoenlcaceae ) , 48146. Wine palm. 
Prom Aburi , Gold Coast, West Africa. Purchased from 
the Agricultural Department of the Gold Coast Colony, 
Ashanti, and Northern Territories. The bamboo or wine 
palm, so called because the natives make wine from the 
sap of the trunk, is native to west and central tropi- 
cal Africa, and is the commonest tree in the swamps 
and lowlands which line the waterways. Dense thickets 
of these graceful palms, traversed only by the palm-wine 
gatherer or the bamboo cutter, push their way into the 
lagoons and extend over the flood grounds and even for 
a distance of from 15 to 20 miles up the river valleys 
into the Interior. African bass, a valuable brusn 
fiber, and raffia are both obtained from this palm. 
The strong whalebonelike bass fiber contained in the 
lower portions of the leafstalks, is very easily ex- 
tracted . by a simple process of soaking and beating. 
The fiber so obtained is excellent for the manufacture 
of brooms and brushes. Raffia is prepared by peeling 
off the cuticle, with some of the underlying fibrovas- 
cular bundles, on one or both sides of the leaf. It Is 
used locally for woven fabrics , hats , and matting. The 
loose strips of raffia are in demand as tie-bands by 
gardeners. In length of fiber, but more especially in 
yield of cellulose, it is superior to Esparto grass, 
Stipa tenaeissima, which Is valuable for making rope, 
brooms, baskets, paper, etc. The following analysis 
proves the worth of R. vinifera for paper-making: 
Moisture 9.8 per cent. 
Ash : 2.7 " 
Cellulose 60.8 " " 
Ultimate fibers (length) 1.5 to 2.5 am. 
(Adapted from Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Inforraa- 
