Seeds and Plants Imported
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- - \ y -, ' '' '" •• * V x * -- :, '"•:' ;- •"' '. "" ^';-- ^" vlMned April, fr, 19jg. \ " ^ . o, l>Jctri\:K 1 JVIiiiN I AJr /\vjrKlL.ULr I Ulvjb,v -v / >, J- OF PtANT INDUSTRY. * " .;^1^ .- A. TAYLOR, Chief of Bureau. INVENTORY ""/ ' OF •u-.y, SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEEH AND PLANT INTRODUCTION " DURIUG THE PERIOD FROM-JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1915. (No'. 42; NOB. -39682 TO 40388.) V WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1918. Issued April 17, 1918. U. S. DEPARTMENT.OF AGRICULTURE. BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. WILLIAM A. TAYLOR, Chief of Bureau. INVENTORY OF SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1915. (No. 42; Nos. 39682 TO 40388.) • • • WASHINGTON: •..:' GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1918. BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. Chief of Bureau, WILLIAM A. TAYLOR. Associate Chief of Bureau, KARL P. KELLER MAN. Officer in Charge of Publications, J. E. ROCKWELL, Chief Clerk, JAMES E. JONES. FOBEKJN SEED AND PLAN* INTRODUCTION. SCIENTIFIC STAFF. David Famnild, Agricultural Explorer in Charge. Washington staff: P. II. Dorsett, Plant Introducer, in Charge of Plant Introduction Field Stations. B. T. Galloway, Plant Pathologist, in Charge of Plant Protection and Plant Propa- gation. Peter Bisset, Plant Introducer, in Charge of Foreign Plant Distribution. Frank N. Meyer, Wilson Popenoe, and F. C. Reimer, Agricultural Explorers. II. 0. Skeels, S. C. Stimtz, and R. A. Young-, Botanical Assistants. David A. Bisset, Paul G. Russell, and Glen P. Van Eseltine, Assistants. Edward Goucher, Plant Propagator. H. Y. Gouldman, Laboratory Aid. Field staff: Robert L. Beagles, Superintendent, Plant Introduction Field Station, Chico, Cal. E. (). Orpet, Assistant in Plant Introduction. It. S. Atwater, F. B. Livingston, and D. M. Wallen, Field Station Aids. Edward Simmonds, Superintendent, Subtropical Plant Introduction Field Station, Miami, Fla. E. J. Rankin and C. II. Steffani, Field Station Aids .John M. Rankin, Superintendent, Yarrow Plant Introduction Field Station, Rock- villa, Md. Harry Puffield, jr., Assistant in Plant Introduction. J. E. Morrow, Superintendent, Plant Introduction Field Station, Brooksville, Fla. M. E. Batchelor and M. H. Lee, Field Station Aids. H. E. Juenemann, Superintendent, Plant Introduction Field Station, Bellingham, Wash. II. A. Houser and B. L. Peters, Field Station Aids. Collaborators: Aaron Aaronsohn, Director, Jewish Agricultural Experiment Station, Haifa, Palestine ; Thomas W. Brown, Gizch, Cairo, Egypt; H. M. Curran, Laurel, Aid.; M. J. Dorsey, University Farm, St. Paul, Minn.; Dr. Gustav Eisen, Neir York City; E. C. Green. Servieo do Algodoa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; A. C. Hartless, Seharunpur Botanic Gardens, Seharunpur, India; Barbour Lathrop, Chicago, 111.; II. Nehrling, Gotha, Fla.; Miss Eliza R. Scidmore, Washington, D. C; Charles Simpson, Littleriver, Fla.; II. P. Stuekey, Experiment, Ga.; Dr. L. Trabut, Director, Service Botanique, Algiers, Algeria; II. N. Whitford, Yale Forestry School, New Haven, Conn.; E. H. Wilson, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass, 2 158:194 CONTENTS. Page. Introductory statement 5 Inventory 11 Index of common and scientific names 113 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Giant acorns of a Mexican oak (Quercus insiynis, S. P. I. No. 39723).. 16 II. The sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus, S. P. I. Nos. 39827, 39857, and 39858) 16 III. An interesting hardy citrus fruit from Kansu, China (Citrus sp., S. P. I. Nos. 39897 and 40039) 32 IV. The Tangutian bush almond (Amygdalus tangutioa, S. P. I. No. 39898) 32 V. A Kansu poplar (Populus suaveolens przewalsMi, S. P. I. No. 39900). 36 VI. A tall-growing gooseberry from Kansu, China (Ribes alpeslre yigan- teum, S. P. I. Nos. 39916 and 40022) 36 VII. Trunk of Potanin's peach (Amygdalus persica potanini, S. P. I. No. 40007) 48 VIII. A. hardy wild pear tree in Kansu, China (Pyrus ussuriensis, S. P. I. No. 40019) 48 IX. A hardy gum-producing treo in Kansu, China (Eueornmia uhnoides, S. P. I. No. 40028) 54 3 INVENTORY OF SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED BY THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION DURING THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1915 (NO. 42; NOS. 39682 TO 40388). INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. Owing to the disturbed condition of ocean traffic and the uncer- tainty of getting perishable plant material in, no expeditions were undertaken except that into the Province of Kansu, China, which had been planned for two years. Nevertheless, an unusual number of interesting and important plants are described in this number of the inventory. Mr. Frank N. Meyer, who made the Kansu expedition, although hampered by the difficulty of getting good interpreters who were willing to accompany him to the borders of Tibet, suc- ceeded in getting as far as the capital of Kansu Province, but was obliged to retrace his steps from that point. He discovered a number of very interesting plants, however, among which perhaps the most important will be found to be some large- fruited wild freestone peaches, Amygdalus spp. (No. 40001 to 40006) ; the Tangutian bush almond, Amygdalus tangutica (Nos. 39898, 40010. and 40011), a species very resistant to drought and cold; a wild pear. Pyrus ussuriensis (No. 40019), of the melting, juicy type, quite distinct from the characteristic hard, gritty ones of China; a wild species of grape, Vitis sp. (No. 40026), with small bunches of black edible berries; wild hardy apricots, Prunus armeniaca (Nos. 40012 and 40013), which may enable breeders to extend the area of success- ful apricot culture farther northward; a very hardy dwarf crab apple. Mains sp. (No. 39923), from an altitude of 9,000 feet in Kansu; a wild gooseberry, Ribes alpestre giganteum (No. 39916), growing 15 feet tall, found on dry embankments, a promising hedge plant for the cold semiarid sections of the United States; a very vigorous-growing currant, Ribes sp. (No. 39910), from 7,000 feet altitude, which makes B bush 25 feet tall; a wTild cherry, Prunus setulosa (No. 39911), which has possibilities as a stock plant; Potanin's peach, Amygdala* persica potan'nu (Nos. 40007 to 40009), a bushy form resembling otherwise A. daridiana, which lias been so successful as a stock, but 5 6 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. which, according to Mr. Meyer, is likely to prove even more drought resistant than the latter species and be useful as a stock in the dry regions of this country; two wild plums, Prunus spp. (Nos. 40014 and 40015), with possibilities for breeding purposes, from Shensi Province; and a citrus species (Nos. 39897 and 40039), with fruits resembling those of a sour mandarin, which would appear to ha TO unusual hardiness. Of shade trees and shrubs for dooryards, Mr. Meyer secured a poplar, Populus suaveolens przewalskii (No. 39900) ; a beautiful evergreen bush, Daphne tangutica (No. 39914), suited to regions like Long Island; a bush honeysuckle, Lonicera sp. (No. 39915), for low hedges in the colder sections of the country; a Chinese rowan, Sorbits sp. (No. 40021) ; an ideal cover for shady portions of the door- yard, Schizandra sphenanthera (No. 40025) ; a valuable late-flowering porch climber with white flowers, Polygonum sp. (No. 40034) ; and Wilson's horse-chestnut, Aesculus wilsonii (No. 40037), from near Chenghsien, Kansu, a new form of this valuable avenue tree. Of the introductions made through correspondents the following are the most noteworthy : Four varieties of corn, Zea mays (Nos. 39936 to 39939), were col- lected by Mr. F. Kingdon Ward in the Valley of Nmaihka in Upper Burma, where a remarkable corn culture exists at an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 feet, which appears to be very ancient. On one of these varieties (No. 39937) Mr. Collins has found signs of the characteristic waxy endosperm which has heretofore appeared only on corns from eastern China and nowhere else in the world, and this fact may be of value in determining the origin of this remarkable corn. A surpris- ingly interesting collection of Spanish corn varieties, Zea mays (Nos. 40259 to 40294), from Spain and the Canary Islands and different portions of the mainland, which was made by Senor Valero, an offi- cial agricultural engineer who recently visited this country, has already unusually excited the interest of the corn specialists. So much interest attaches to the spineless cactus that the dis- covery in Hawaii of a form without spines and with very few spicules, Opuntia sp. (No. 39853), which is supposed to have been brought there by Don Marin and which in comparison with Biirbank's spine- less cactus has shown its ability to live on dry islands of the Hawaiian group where the Burbank cactus has quickly perished, will interest a wide circle of experimenters. The Porto Bican black walnut, Juglans portorieensis (No. 40236), which matures its nuts in April and May; the red bush nut from New South Wales, Hiclcsheachia pinnatifolia (No. 39871) ; the late-bloom- ing varieties of English walnut, Juglans regia (Nos. 39839 to 39844 and 39881 to 39886), from Grenoble, France, to which our attention was directed by Prof. J. Russell Smith; the Tibetan tree hazelnut, Corylus JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 1915. 7 chinensis (No. 39007), which grows to 100 feet in height and of which Mr. Meyer has secured seeds in China; the wild small-fruited but probably very hardy walnuts from Kansu, Juglans regia (No. 40016) ; and a new form of the comparatively disease-resistant Chinese chestnut with slender trunk, Castanea sp. (Nos. 40035 and 4003G), will be of particular interest to nut specialists. Extensive introductions of sweet-potato varieties have been made through Mr. Koig from the experiment station at Santiago de las Vegas, where many trials have been conducted with this vegetable, Ipomoea batatas (Nos. 30720 to 30735, 30741 and 39742, 39709 to 39802, 39831 to 39833, 39941 to 30045, 40237 to 40258, and 40388). A Japanese gentleman visiting this country, Mr.