LIMITED QUANTITIES:
ANACARDIUM (an-a-kar-dee-um)
ANACARDIACEAE. Tropical trees and shrubs of the Americas.
—Anacardium occidentale. (5) ANAC-4. Packet: $2.50
'CASHEW'. Small evergreen tree to 40 feet, bearing small 3" edible fruits with the cashew nut at the bottom. Handsome 8" leaves. Tropical America. Zone 10. Likes a dry season and well-drained soil. Soak seeds overnight and plant on their side, keep warm, germinates in 2 - 4 weeks. Seed shell causes rash if broken, but safe to handle when whole.
ANNONA
—Annona Cherimola. (5) ANNO-6. Packet: $3.00
'CHERIMOYA', 'CUSTARD APPLE'. Delicious light green fruits with creamy white flesh tasting of pineapple/banana, weighing from 12 - 32 ounces. Small subtropical tree to 25 feet, with 1" flowers with a fruity fragrance. Oval, pointed 4 - 10" leaves. Andes. Hardy to about 25°F, can be grown in California and Florida, and can be trained on trellises like grapes. Hand pollinate for best fruit set.
BURSERA (BUR-ser-a)
BURSURACEAE. Deciduous tropical American trees.
—Bursera fagaroides. (5) BURS-76. Packet: $5.00
'COPAL', 'ELEPHANT TREE'. Small tree to 20 feet, with a thick swollen trunk and papery peeling bark. Tiny flowers followed by purple-green berries. Deserts of México. Zone 9. The fragrant resin is used as incense, with a sweet citrusy scent. Good fall color, then dormant until hot weather returns. Good as bonsai, and outdoors in southern Arizona. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks warm.
—Bursera odorata. (5) BURS-60. Packet: $5.00
'TOROTE BLANCO', 'COPAL'. Small tree to 10 feet, with a swollen caudiciform trunk with golden peeling bark. Yellow flowers and pinnate leaves. North México. Sweet balsamic sap used as incense.
CARICA (KAR-i-ka)
CARICACEAE. Small, fast-growing tropical 'trees' (actually giant herbs) prized for their delicious fruits. Forms a single trunk topped with striking, deeply cut palmate leaves, and are sometimes grown as annual bedding plants for the unusual, bold foliage display. Grow outdoors in Southern California and the warm South, or in the greenhouse in the North. Germination irregular, keep warm and they will pop up in 2 - 24 weeks or so.
C. Papaya Varieties:
'PAPAYA'. Fast growing small trees to 5 - 25 feet, bearing melon-like fruits ranging from a pound to over 35 pounds. Can bear in 12 - 18 months from seed in warm climates, giving their best crops in 3 or 4 years. Usually dioecious, needing both male and female trees to give fruit, but bisexual kinds exist. The luscious fruits contain the enzyme papain, which aids digestion, many digestive disorders having been cured by their regular consumption. The fruits and leaves are added to meat while cooking as a tenderizer. The seeds have a hot, mustard-like flavor, are sometimes ground as a spice, and have medicinal uses. Rope has been made from the bark. The leaves have been smoked as a tobacco substitute.
Easy from seed which germinates best when at least 6 months old or so - fresh seed is dormant. Soak in warm water 1 - 2 days, plant 1/4 - 1/2" deep in light, sandy soil, to sprout in 1 - 4 months at warm temperatures. Give plenty of air to prevent damping off. Plant in well-drained rich soil. Dwarf kinds can be grown in large tubs in the greenhouse. Warm soil is a must if grown outdoors. Can withstand a few degrees of frost, but hates cold, wet soil.
—Papaya 'Brazilian'. (15) CARI-3B. Packet: $2.50
Good-tasting variety from Brazil. Zone 9 - 10.
—Papaya 'Large Mexican'. (15) CARI-3B. Packet: $2.50
Mild tasting fruit that weigh several pounds.
OPUNTIA
—robusta Spineless. (25) OPUN-208. Packet: $2.50
Large deep red mildly sweet fruits. The young pads make excellent nopales. Large prickly-pear cactus.
PONCIRUS
—Poncirus trifoliata 'Large Fruited'. (20) PONC-4L. Packet: $2.50
Seed stored moist and refrigerated.
A variety with large fruits to 3 - 4" wide. Probable hybrid origin. Germinates in 3 - 8 weeks, needs darkness.
ROSA
—Rosa moschata. (15) ROSE-99. Packet: $2.50
'HIMALAYAN MUSK ROSE'. Creamy white 1 1/2 - 2" musk-scented flowers in large corymbs in April and May. Large deciduous climber. Himalayas to 4000 to 8000 feet. Zone 6.
SALVIA
—Salvia Sclarea var. turkestanica. (40) SALV-77T. Packet: $2.50
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'VATICAN CLARY'. Large white flowers tinged pink, with light bracts, often almost white. Nice! Zone 4.
—FENNEL Best Bulber. (40) VFEN-BB. Packet: $2.50
"The best we've grown, forms fat juicy bulbs even in hot weather and does not bolt! Its the only bulbing fennel we've actually been successful with."—Ben Kamm. One week prechill helps germination.
TOMATO
—Tomato, New Zealand paste. (25) VTOM-NZ. Packet: $2.50
Large pear-shaped tomatoes, green on top. "This tomato makes the best, darkest sauce! And I dry it!"—Rollings.
NEW ARRIVALS in good quantity:
AKEBIA (a-KEE-bee-a)
LARDIZABALACEAE. East Asian twining shrubs grown for their attractive foliage and peculiar flowers and fruit. Best in sun and well-drained soil. Germinates readily after 1 month cold treatment.
—Akebia quinata. (10) AKEB-5. Packet: $2.50
Fresh seed stored moist and refrigerated.
'CHOCOLATE VINE', 'FIVE-LEAF'. Odd rosy purple (male) or purple brown (female), three petaled, 1/4 - 1 1/2" very sweetly fragrant flowers in pendant clusters in April and May. Peculiar sausage shaped dark purple 3 - 5" edible fruits with sweetish yellow green pulp. Twining shrub to 15 - 20 feet, with handsome 5-parted foliage. NE Asia. Zone 4 or 5. The leaves are used for tea in Japan. "Very graceful and desirable."—A. Rehder.
DISPORUM (di-SPOR-um)
LILIACEAE. Ornamental woodland perennials of N. America and E. Asia. Valued in the wild garden for their attractive foliage in part shade. Some of the Asian species are eaten.
—Disporum smithii. (10) DISP-22. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50
Seed stored moist and refrigerated.
'FAIRY LANTERN'. Whitish inch long drooping bells in clusters of 1 - 5 at the branch tips, followed by golden yellow berries. Attractive foliage. Perennial to 1 - 3 feet. Moist coastal Pacific woods. Zone 6.
MAIANTHEMUM (my-AN-the-mum)
LILIACEAE. Low rhizomatous perennials with white flowers. Related to lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria). Easy in shady places.
—Maianthemum dilatatum. (25) MAIA-12. Packet: $2.50
'BEAD-RUBY'. Tiny white flowers in 2" spikes, followed by golden to red 1/4" berries. Hardy perennial to 4 - 16", with large, heart-shaped 2 - 8" leaves. Moist shady woods, Pacific Northwest to East Asia. The berries were eaten by the Indians, and the plant was used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. Seed germinates in 3 - 5 months warm.
PRUNUS
—Prunus Lyonii. (5) PRUN-76. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Pound: $15.00 (about 14 seeds per ounce)
Fresh seed stored in cold storage.
'CATALINA ISLAND CHERRY'. Maroon to black 1/2 - 1" round cherries with a large stone, eaten fresh, with fine flavor. Tree or shrub to 10 - 45 feet, with large 2 - 5" dark green leaves, and spikes of small white flowers in March to May. Rare species endemic to the Channel Islands off the coast of California. The fruits were prized by the Indians, who also ate the large, nut-like kernel after leaching and boiling. Zone 8, and probably hardy to 0° - 10°F. Germinates in 2 - 5 months, and a prechill may help. May cross with other species. Young plants have some teeth on the leaves.
—Prunus Persica 'Indian Peach'. (10) PRUN-97. Packet: $2.50
50 seed: $15.00
http://thehistoricfoodie.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/more-on-the-indian-peach/
Fresh seed stored in cold storage.
'INDIAN CLING PEACH'. Small dusty tan peaches with yellow flesh, very delicious. Small clingstone pit. Originally from Cherokee lands in North Carolina. Comes true from seed. Peaches were introduced very early by the Spanish, and spread among the Indians and taken as their own. Very productive, said to produce the third year from seed, bearing heavy crops of the small delicious peaches. Plant on receipt.
—Prunus subcordata. (5) PRUN-130. Packet: $2.50
'MODOC PLUM', 'SIERRA PLUM'. Fragrant white 1/2" flowers in March and April, followed by edible fruits up to an inch long. Shrub or tree to 20 feet, with roundish leaves. Northern California. Zone 7. The fruits are eaten fresh, dried, or in sauces and preserves. Distinctive flavor. "Considered one of the best native fruits of the Pacific Coast region."—Facciola
SMILACINA (smi-la-SEE-na)
LILIACEAE. Rhizomatous perennials for moist shady places.
—Smilacina racemosa var. amplexicaulis. (50) SMIL-4A. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50, 50 grams: $15.00
This is moist seed, stored refrigerated.
'FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL', 'FAT SOLOMON'. Fragrant small starry flowers in clusters, followed by attractive red berries in late summer. Hardy perennial with arching stems to 3 feet, forming nice clumps. W. N. America. Zone 4.