318 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. xv. 



fruits is, undoubtedly, the "langsat," which is of a 

 pale yellow or straw-colour, borne in short clusters of 

 four or five together, on a somewhat fastigiate pinnate- 

 leaved tree. The individual fruits are as large as 

 pigeon's eggs, the part eaten being the four or five 

 segments of white gelatinous pulp within a tough, 

 leathery husk. Of these rarely more than one contains 

 a solitary seed, which, if tasted by accident, is found to 

 be remarkably bitter. The seedless segments are always 

 sweeter and more palatable than the others — indeed, this 

 is the case generally, as exemplified in the mangosteen 

 and rambi. In Singapore this fruit is known under the 

 name of " duku." 



The "rambi," when plucked from the stalk, is singu- 

 larly like the langsat in shape, colour, and flavour. The 

 tree, however, is more dwarf, having large entire leaves, 

 and the fruits are borne in ropes of ten or fifteen to- 

 gether, on long drooping stalks. The covering of the 

 fruit is straw-coloured, and tough like that of the lang- 

 sat, but there are only three segments of pulp in each. 

 The best I ever tasted came from the garden of the 

 British Consulate at Brunei, but I think the " langsat " 

 is preferable in point of flavour. The latter is very com- 

 monly seen in groves near the villages of the inland 

 tribes ; the " rambi," on the other hand, is much less 

 abundant, and I never met with it except in European 

 gardens. 



The "niangalin" of the Kadyans is a fruit very similar 

 in general structure to the "jintawan," and consists of 

 ten or twelve pulp-covered seeds enclosed in an orange- 

 like fleshy covering. The flavour is sweet, with a sub- 

 acid after-taste. 



The fruits of two kinds of jambosa, or rose-apples, are 

 met with, but like the papaw, cashew-nut, and the apple- 



