820 
interesting, relative of the cottons was supposed to be 
extinct, a single tree only remaining on the Molokai ranch 
where it occurred, but during the summer this tree supposed 
to be dead, revived and a single branch put forth leaves 
and flowers and produced a few seeds. These seeds were 
procured for this Office by Mr. Rock, and will be propa- 
gated for distribution for comparison with KoTcia Rockii, 
already widely distributed to botanic gardens. 
Ly coper sicon escwlenttnri Miller. (Solanaceae . ) 39362. 
Seeds of a wild tomato from Funchal, Madeira. Presented 
by Mr . Charles H. Gable, Director, Junta Agricola. "The 
little wild tomato, Lycopersicorv vulgare cerasiforme which is 
found in Madeira is considered by Lowe (Manual Flora of 
Madeira) as being the original stock from which our culti- 
vated varieties have been derived. The same author states 
that besides 'growing spontaneously everywhere below 2000 
feet above Punchal and other towns and villages in Ma- 
deira, it is completely naturalized on the central rocky 
crest of the North De.serta. ' The North Deserta is an al- 
most barren, uninhabitated island which lies about thirty 
miles north from Madeira. The selection which has taken 
place in the development of our cultivated varieties has 
not greatly changed the general appearance of the plant. 
The writer has not had the opportunity of making the care- 
ful botanical study necessary for the intelligent compari- 
son of the characters presented by this wild tomato and 
our cultivated varieties, so there will be presented here 
only; very brief observations of the conditions in which 
the plants grow. One of these plants was transplanted to 
a favorable part of the garden where the ground was rich, 
and had plenty of moisture. It made a tremendous growth, 
and at the end of three months, the plant was five feet in 
diameter and three and one-half feet high. Unfortunately 
the plant was destroyed, so that it was impossible to com- 
plete the record. Another plant was found where it could 
not have had a drop of water for at least three months. 
It probably had started to grow during the last few rains 
of the spring, but had completed its growth during the 
heat and drought of the summer. The particular spot where 
it grew was the hottest of the hottest part of the island. 
When it was found, the vine was apparently entirely dead, 
and lying flat on the ground; the leaves had dried up and 
dropped off, but the fruits every one of which was ripe, 
were clinging to the vine. It also seemed very strange to 
find that the fruits were all plump and firm, over three 
hundred of them on this one vine. The fruits are so very 
acid that they can be used for little else besides soups, 
and the natives do not use them a great deal even for 
that. Their keeping quality, however, may prove a desir- 
