diameter and have asmooth rind. Inside, there are from 
three to one (sometimes more) green seeds enclosed in a 
fleshy, white or pink, edible juicy aril. There is consider- 
able variation among the wild fruits, but generally they 
are sour; those of the cultivated trees, however, are 
sweet and very palatable. 
The rambai and hapundung are obtained from different 
species of Baccaurea, a large genus of evergreen trees 
occurring from India to the Pacific, but chiefly in West- 
ern Malesia. ‘There are more than 60 species of the genus 
which have been legitimately published: at least 20 have 
edible fruit, but most of these are found only wild. So 
far, no more than four species have been recorded as 
under cultivation, including the rambai and kapundung. 
In this paper, the name rambai, if it is used without 
qualifications, always refers to Baccaureca Motleyana, 
and hapundung to Baccaurea racemosa. 
The rambai fruit has gained increasing popularity in 
Malaya, and today it is one of the principal fruits. Olds 
(1933) places it among the ‘“‘ten most popular fruits in 
Malaya.’* Nevertheless, very few experiments have been 
‘arried on, either in Malaya or in Java, to improve its 
quality. 
The ripe fruits are eaten usually raw, but they are also 
suitable for cooking and may be fermented and made 
into liquor. Onocceasions of wedding ceremonies, certain 
races of the Malay Peninsula consume large quantities 
of this fermented beverage (Skeat & Blagden, 1906). In 
Kalimantan (Borneo), there is another species of Bac- 
caurea, the tampot (B. Griffithii) which is also used to 
make a kind of liquor called twak tampoi (tuak means 
alcoholic beverage) (Burkill, 1935). 
THe Genus BaccaurgEa Loureiro 
(Latin: bacea=berry; aurea= golden) 
The members of the genus are mostly small to large 
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