FOREST PRODUCTS. 123 



Eugenia Species. The fruit of all species of Eugenia is 

 edible. The rose apple, Jamoon and others are too well 

 known to need description. On the summits of the Western 

 Ghats a very beautiful species is abundant, with bright 

 blue flowers and pear-shaped fruit, the size of a robin's egg, 

 of a brilliant golden, or scarlet colour, and looking like drops 

 of molten sealing wax. 



Phyllanthus Emblica. The sour and astringent fruit of 

 this small tree is eaten raw and pickled. It possesses the 

 peculiar property of turning brackish water sweet. 



Garcinias. The fruit of almost all the trees of this genus 

 are edible. The Mangosteen is one of the most important. 

 Some are eaten pickled, and some made into tarts. 



Diospyros Melanoxylon. The fruit of this tree is edible, 

 and is occasionally sold in the bazaars. 



Zizyphus Jujuba. This tree yields a sour little orange 

 plum, which is eateu by native boys and deer. 



Spondias Mangifera. The Hog plum is eaten pickled by 

 natives; it is also greedily devoured by deer, &c. 



Artocarpus Integrifolia. The fruit of this tree is eaten, 

 when green in curries. The seeds are eaten roasted. 



Ficus species. The fruit of most trees of this genua are 

 eaten in times of scarcity and by animals. There is a 

 scandent species, with a trunk rarely over six inches in 

 diameter that produces bunches of very large purple figs 

 which, when ripe, are by no means ill-flavoured. The bright 

 orange fruit of the common atti have a very pleasant smell ; 

 but they are usually full of thousands of small double-tailed 

 flies. All wild animals eat the fruit of wild figs greedily. 

 There are very few trees, or shrubs in these vast forests that 

 bear edible fruit. It is surprising that amongst such a 

 variety of trees there should be so few fruit-bearing ones. 



OF EDIBLE SUBSTANCES OTHER THAN FRUIT. 

 Phoenix Sylvestris yields a very delicate and nutty- 

 flavoured cabbage that is eaten both raw and pickled. 



