79^ 



tHs TROPICAL AGmcvLruni^r. [juwe i, i 



BixiNE.E. — Flacourtia inermis, Roxb. — The name of 

 Mad Apple is applied to this fruit iu the Siamese collec- 

 tiou, while iu ludia it is known as Oomitry Plum. 

 The tree is a native of the Moluccas, but seems to 

 be much cultivated. The fruit is about the size 

 of a Oherry, of a red colour, aud has a smooth skiu, 

 and is described by Ivoxburgh as being " too sour to 

 be eaten raw, but makes very good tarts." Under 

 the name of Luvi-luvi, or Lobi-lobi, the fruits of F. 

 cataphracta, Wild., are used in Java for making into 

 preserve : they are globular, with a sm joth purple 

 bkin, and are about the size of a commou Plum. 

 Aheria caffra. Harv. and Loud. — The Kei Apple is per- 

 haps better known than the last. It is the fruit of 

 a shrub, native of the Cape of Good Rope aud Natal. 

 When ripe the fruits are of a golden-yellow colour, 

 about the size of a small Apple. They make an ex- 

 cellent preserve, but are said to be so exceedingly 

 acid when fresh that " the Dutch settlers prepare 

 them for their tables as a pickle without vinegar." 

 Malvaceae. Durio zihethinus, L. (the Duriau). — This 

 wellknown fruit is included here only on account of 

 the possibility of the edible pulpy portion being brought 

 to this country preserved in syrup, like Pines. A 

 specimen in the Museum from the Siam collection 

 suggests this possibilitj', though it is probable that the 

 flavour of the Durian, as described by travellers, would 

 not recommend it to European palates. 



Geraniace.e. — Averrhoa hilimbi, L. (the Blimb- 

 ing). — This, and the Caracnbola — A. carambola, L. — 

 are useful Indian fruits, valued on account of their 

 acid taste for making pickles as well as for preserves. 

 RuTACEiE. — Trijihasia trifoiiata,DO. — A spiny shrub, 

 native of Southera China, but now naturalised in ludia 

 and the AVest Indies. The fruits are about the siz<3 

 of a large black Currant, with a reddish skin : Iq an 

 unripe state they are said to have a stickly tena- 

 cious pulp, and a turpentine flavour, but when fully 

 ripe they have an agreeable sweet taste, and are pre- 

 served in syrup. They occasionally come to this country 

 in this form under the name of Lime berries. A 

 closely allied plant is the AVampee (Olausena Wampi, 

 Blanco, better known perhaps as Cookia punctata), 

 a small globular body, esteemed in China and the 

 Indiaa Archipelago. 



Melaice^. — Lnnsium domesticum, Jack. (Lansa, 

 Langsat, or Dojku.) — A tree of India and the Malay 

 islands, the fruit of which is about the size of a 

 pigeon's egg. The skin i.s of a yellow colour, aud the 

 pulp of flesh white. AVhen fully ripe it is of a 

 pleasant, sweetish, acid taste, and is highly esteemed 

 by the people in the Malay islands, either iu the fresh 

 state, or cooked in various ways, or made into a 

 preserve. Duku jam was shown in the collection from 

 the Straits Settlements at the Colonial Exhibition, 

 and its flavour was certainly very agreeable. 



Olacineje. — Ximenia americana, L. (the Amatun- 

 duluku of Natal). — It is a shrub or small tree, and 

 is found widely spread over tropical regions. The 

 fruits are fleshy, somewhat ovoid, about an inch long, 

 and when fresh, of a sweetish colour; they have a 

 sweetish, acid taste, and are generally eaten iu the 

 countries where the plant is grown. A form of this 

 species has been described under the name of X. 

 elliptica found in the Pacific islands, where it is eaten 

 in large quantities by the natives, and is said to be 

 extremely acid, and to possess an Almond-like smeli. 

 It is of a globular form, and not elliptical. 



Sapindace,^. — This order coutains the well-known 

 Litchi and Longan, and the less known Rambutan 

 and Pootassan. I mention the first only to draw at- 

 tention to the forms iu which these fruits might be 

 introduced. In this country we know the Litchi 

 (Nephelium Litchi, Camb.) only in its dritxl state, that 

 is, when the outer warted shells have become woody 

 and the inner pulp, or aril, which envelopes the 

 seed, has somewhat shrivelled and become black. In 

 this state the pulp has simply a sweet taste, but in 

 the fresh state the pulp is whitish, or slightly tinged 

 with pink, and has a refreshing acid taste. A sample 

 of these fruits, with the wool}' coat removed, show- 

 ing the iuuer pulp preserved in fluid, from Siam, is 

 ^bovD in the Sew Maseum, aud tbey mg^^i^ the 



possibility that this pulpy portion might be preserved, 

 ia tins iu a similar manner to Piae-apples, and sent to 

 this coaotry. The fruits of the Kimbufan, or llani- 

 bustin (Nephelium lappaceuin, L), might also be treated 

 iu a similar way. The pulp makes an excellent j im, 

 samples of which were exhibited in the Straits Settle- 

 ments collection. The pulp of the Pootassan (Nephe- 

 lium mutabile) is similar to the last. 



Otophora fruticosa, Bl. (the Phamarieng of the Sia- 

 mese), produces a two or three-lobed fruit aboat the 

 size of a Cherry, of a bright shining black when ripe, 

 and containing a large proportion of pulp of a pleasant 

 sweetish, slightly astringent taste. 



ANACARDIACE.T2. — Besides the Mango and Cashew 

 nuts, and the several species of Spoudias which furn- 

 ish fruits of varied quality, two species of Bouea yield 

 large, pulpy edible fruits; these are B. macrophylla 

 Griff., and B. burmanica. Griff., both of which are 

 known in Siam by the name of Maprang. 



RosACEy"E. — Chri/sobalanus Icaco, L. — This is the Icaco, 

 or Coco Plum of the West Indies and S )uth America, 

 The fruits are about the size and appearance of an 

 ordinary Plum, but vary in colour from white to yellow, 

 red or purple. The pulp is described as having a 

 sweet but somewhat austere taste, and is used either 

 raw or for making a conserve. 



Mtetaob.'e. — In this large order many fruits suggest 

 themielves as being likely to prove valuable either in 

 the state under which they are at present known, 

 or under an improved condition from the effects of 

 cultivation. The Guava (Psidium guayava, Kadd.), 

 aud the Rose Apple (Eugenia Jambos, L. ), are amongst 

 the best known fruits of the order; these latter ho >v- 

 ever, are but little esteemed in their fresh state by 

 Europeans, iu consequence of their generally insipid 

 taste, but candied with sugar they are very agreeable, 

 and have a distinct Rose flavour. R,:Xie Apples pre- 

 served iu this manner were sent from Jamaica to the 

 Philadelphia Exhibition, and were awarded a Silver 

 Medal. The tree is commonly cultivated in gardens 

 in India, and the fruit is eaten either raw or made 

 into a preserve. Another species of Eugenia, namely, 

 E. Jambolana, Lam., is much valued in India for 

 the sake of the fruits, which are mostly about the 

 size of a pigeon's egg, but vary under cultivation, 

 and are eaten by all classes of the people. The tree 

 is an evergreen, common throughout India, both wild 

 and cultivated, and it is also found iu Ceylon, the 

 Malay Archipelago, aud Australia. 



Ugni (Myrtus ugni), a Chilian shrub, has long been 

 valued in its native country for the sake of its 

 fruits, which are of brownish-red colour when ripe, 

 and about the size of a large black Currant ; it has 

 a soft juicy pulp, with a sweetish, somewhat aro- 

 matic flavour. It is described as being cultivated 

 in gardens aud used as dessert in Valparaiso, and the 

 expressed Juice of the fruit mixed with water is said 

 to form a very refreshing drink, having an odour 

 of Rosemary. The plant has been recommended for 

 cultivation as a fruit-bearing shrub in the warmer 

 parts of England. A fruit very similar to the Dgni 

 is produced by Myrtus salutaris, H. B. Samples are 

 shown in the Kew Museum from Venezuela. On 

 the banks of the Orinoco they are said to grow as 

 large as Sloes. 



PASSiFLOEEas.— Several of the fleshy fruits of this 

 order are utilised in tropical countries for making 

 preserves, as, for instance, Passiflora quadra ngularis, 

 L., and P. maliformis, L., and Carica Papiya. Jam* 

 made from the first named species were shown iiJi 

 the Colonial Exhibition from Dominica, and from the 

 second from Natal ; both, however, lacked any distinct 

 flavour to recoaimoud them, aud this was generally 

 the case with the Papaw, which was shown from 

 several of the colonies preserved in various ways. 

 The most curious, however, if not the best in point 

 of (juality, were those shown in the Straits Settle- 

 ments collection where the fruits were cut into various 

 ornamental forms and preserved in syrup. Under 

 the name of ".scented Lemon" (a label probably 

 misplaced) was shown soni^ attractive looking sub- 

 stance tjf a bright green colour, also iu syrup^ 

 which upoQ examiuatioa I fouQd tQ be the flowery 



