The Geographic and Native Plant Name Approach to World-Wide Economic Plant Distribution and Exchange
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230 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1953 and a rapid decline so that there were periods Block 8. Check, regular grove practices. of several weeks to a month where the level Block 9. Regular fertilizer applications was extremely low whereas with materials such plus spraying at bloom with Napthalene as cyanamid, a relatively uniform level could acetic acid. be maintained. Though production figures Block 10. Nitrogen derived from cyanamid were not available it seemed that on areas otherwise P K and MgO, same as regular where a uniform level was maintained better, treatment. more uniform production occurred. Late in 1950, in cooperation with a local Until completion of the work, only 2, 3, 4 grove caretaker, studies were started on a and 10 will be summarized. mature grove covering irrigation and fertilizer For 1951, production records were not avail practices. Ten blocks of trees approximately able. By tree count the fruit for blocks 2, 3 one acre each having 85 to 90 trees were used. and 4 were as follows: The following is the layout of the plots. Block 2 47 fruit per tree. Block 1. No irrigation, but the area will be 3 72 fertilized in accordance with general prac 4 72 tices maintained by the grower. Production records were available in 1952 Block 2. By use of soluble materials, at and were as follows: tempt will be made to maintain the ni Block 2 43 fruit per tree. trate level at 100 PPM or more. 3 58 4 49 Block 3. Nitrogen derived from Nitrea (P 10 48 K and MgO), same as applied to the re mainder of the grove, applied twice a As will be noted, production was lowest on year, in June and late December or early block 2, on which the source of nitrogen was January. a readily available material. Though nitrogen Block 4. Nitrea, same as block 3, except fertilizers were applied five times during the NuGreen, at the rate of 5 pounds per 100 year the area could not be maintained at a gallons, applied as a foliage spray, as constant high level and fluctuated widely, buds are breaking and when the fruit is while the level on block 3 and 4 remained quite constant. setting. Block 5. Regular fertilizer, plus NuGreen Indications are that when an adequate level as foliage spray, 5 pounds per 100 gallons of nitrogen is maintained along with a good of water every 30 days. supply of other elements as P K and MgO, pro Block 6. Regular surface feeding until duction is higher than where the level of N fruit is set, then sprayed every 10 to 14 varies widely. days with 10 pounds of NuGreen per 100 On non-irrigated groves our data show that gallons of water. during the drier part of the year, more readily Block 7. Regular grove fertilizer, trees available material will give better results. To mulched with tobacco stems or scrap get maximum benefit from organics, an ade paper. quate level of moisture must be maintained. THE GEOGRAPHIC AND NATIVE PLANT NAME APPROACH TO WORLD-WIDE ECONOMIC PLANT DISTRIBUTION AND EXCHANGE G. Weidman Groff AN ODE TO SAPINDACEAE Lingnan Plant Exchange What wondrous beauty, strength and grace Your forms have painted on earth's face! Laurel, Florida In forest dark, and damp and hot Nephelium rises on a spot (Continued from the 1952 Proceedings, pp. Where fowl alight, in weary flight, 203 to 209.) And view thereon a glorious sight GROFF: SAPINDACEAE 231 Of luscious fruits, so red, so rare The fields of study of the botanist, looking That birds and beasts compete to share. down upon the plants of the earth through a And far beyond, in cooler climes, microscope, and those of the astronomer, look ing out to the stars in the heavens through a Sapindus berries cleanse the line telescope, at least coincide in one respect. Of clothes, which man since Adam wears; The stars in the sky and the plants upon the And oft* alas! in labor tares. earth, in number are as the sands of the sea. But stranger still, on Chinas soil, There are great and lasting values to be Where men of will so bravely toil, gained through an analytical use of the mind Is Litchi, loved, and culture trained; in naming, describing and cataloguing the And Koelreuteria, 'Golden Blossoms rained. physical wonders of creation. But the marvel Tribe IX—Cupanieae. 48 genera and 404 species, by far the largest tribe in the family. However, to date only about 10 species seem to have attracted some garden interest. These are tropical evergreen trees and shrubs, a few valued for their wood. Further field work and study should reveal con siderably more native usage and folklore. The chief world centers of origin of the tribe are 3 in number: (a) The Pacific Islands, south eastward to Australia, and westward and northward to the Asiatic mainland. Within this area there have been described 28 genera and 247 species. There are 10 endemic, monotypic genera: 2 in the Philippines. 1 in Siam, 2 in Indo China, 1 in Hainan, China, 2 in Australia and 1 in New Guinea, a main center of origin of the tribe. Considerably off line, in Zanzibar, East Africa, is also 1. (b) The African-Madagascar subdivision, with 9 genera and 60 species. These are mod erately sized genera, each with 5 to 12 species, except for Bemarivea of Madagascar which is en demic and monotypic. Within this group is Blighia sapida Koen. the <Akee,* a semi-popular trop ical fruit which apparently reached the American tropics from Africa where it is highly developed and widely grown. Later in cultivation it was carried into the Pacific and Asiatic areas. It seems to be the only important economic species of the tribe, (c) The.Tropical American Subdivision, an independent group of 11 genera and 97 species. Cupania, 42 species, and Marayaba, 43, are quite widespread in distribution, the former attracting far more attention by plantsmen than has the latter. All other genera have onjy 1 or 2 species. In Brazil, especially in the northern portions, are found 5 genera; also in Guiana, Argentine, Costa Rica and Peru, 1 each. The independence of each of the above centers in Cupanieae origins, natural relationships and dis tribution is impressive. Only Allosanthus of Peru seems possibly derived from Eriocaelum, a trop ical African genus of 9 species, one of which is also of South American origin, in Spanish Guiana. Phylogenetic number, genus Total no. of Important species, uses and author and date Center of origins species, and common names no. in cult. 165.69—Cupania Plum, ex Widespread in Ameri 42/5 or more Cupania is also the common name. The Linn. 1737, 1753. can tropics and sub- species of most interest are: C. glabra Sw., tropics. A moderate a tree native to the hammocks and keys of representation is also southern Florida, at one time thought to found in the Pacific have been exterminated. C. cubensis Maza. area, especially Aus and Molinet is an attractive evergreen shrub tralia. or small tree of the West Indies which has been under observation at the Harvard Bo tanical Gardens in Cuba. It was introduced from there into the United States under SPI. No. 115: 26987. C. americana L. is a Mexi can shrub or tree, to 30 feet in height and also introduced into the United States through Harvard Botanical Gardens, Cuba, SPI. Nos. 95: 77161 and 103: 87509. C. an- acardiodes, a slender tree about 40 feet high, native to the Moreton Bay area of Queensland, Australia, has been used more successfully in various areas as a garden ornamental than possibly any other species. A number of other species of Cupania have been introduced into the United States from Brazil and other South American coun tries. See U.S. Plant Inventory Bulletins Nos. 64, 95, 103, 115, 121, 122, 131, 151. Cupania sapida is a synonym of Blighia sapida, the 'Akee.' .70—Vouarana Aubl. 1775. Guiana and Brazil. 1/ V. guianensis .71—Scyphonychium N. Brazil. 1/ S. multiflorum Radlk, 1879. .72—Dilodendron Radlk. Brazil, Paraguay, Bo 1/ D. bipinnatum, a tree to 20 feet. 1878. livia and Peru. .73—Diplokelba N.E. Br. Argentine, Paraguay 2/ D. floribunda is recorded from the first 1894. Brazil and Bolivia. three countries; and D. herzogia from Bo livia. .74—Pentascyphus Radlk. Spanish Guiana 1/ P. thyrsiflorus, a tree. 1879. The unity of the above five genera in general area of origins and relationships is interesting, In each the species are only 1 or 2 and little is recorded of their economic values. 232 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1953 165.75—Matayaba Aubl. 1875. Tropical and subtrop 43/ This large genus has received slight atten ical America. Also in tion by plantsmen. In Queensland, Aus Australia. tralia are a dozen or more endemic species recorded under the closely allied genus Ratonia D.C. 182,4, which Radlk of er con siders a section of Matayaba. We have no record of any introductions into the west ern hemisphere. Chinese botanists have assigned a Chinese generic name to Matay aba but we have found no record of a species in that country. .76—Pseudina Radlk. 1878. Guiana and Brazil. 2/ P. frutescens and P. pallidum. .77—Dipterodendron Radlk. Costa -Rica. 2/ D. costaricense, a tree 20-30 meters high, 1914. and D. elegans, also a large tree. 7 8—Tripterodendron Brazil. 1/ T. filicifolium (Linden) Radlk. is a tree 20 Radlk. 1890. meters tall. We have no record of these closely allied genera and species beyond their native habitats.