244 Fruits and Print-Trees. 



call it Philodendron pertusum and Scindapsus pertusus ; 

 the newer ones, Tornelia fragrans and Monstera delidosa. 

 The leaves, a yard in length and two feet across, are full 

 of great holes, quite natural and proper to them, but with 

 the appearance of having been designedly cut out with 

 knife or scissors. The spathe is simply astounding, being 

 quite a foot in length, a beautiful oval cradle, copied, 

 one might suppose, from some glorious Indian shell, 

 cream-white, and externally as smooth and soft as satin. 

 The spadix inside, corresponding in colour, is composed 

 of several hundred little flowers, spirally disposed, and 

 that when in perfection become viscid. Coalescing as 

 they approach maturity, the ovaries form the "fruit," 

 which when ripe is twelve or fourteen inches in length, a 

 couple of inches thick, slightly curved, deep sage-green, 

 changing to creamy yellow, and giving the idea of a cob 

 of Indian corn, only that instead of grains there are 

 hexagonal meshes. The time taken to swell and ripen is 

 about twelve months. When ready to eat, it diffuses 

 odour far and wide, not very different from that of 

 pine-apple; and when placed upon table, behaves like an 

 enchantress. The meshes, which are the heads of the 

 ovaries, are easily removed, and then, underneath, there 

 is a delightful, soft, vinous, aromatic pulp, supported 

 by the somewhat woody axis of the original "spadix." 

 Unfortunately the pulp abounds with raphides, little 

 acicular crystals which cause a pricking sensation in the 

 mouth and throat; at first not worth mention, but that 

 does not pass away for several hours. These little 



