The Mango steen and the Persimon. 299 



THE MANGOSTEEN (Garcinia Mangostana). 



THE Mangosteen is also essentially tropical, belonging by 

 birthright to Borneo and the adjacent islands. In figure 

 the fruit resembles an orange, but the colour is dark 

 brown, curiously spotted with green. It lias cells like 

 those of an orange, and these contain a snow-white pulp 

 which combines the flavour of the pine, the grape, and 

 the apricot, and in addition the inexpressible one of the 

 mangosteen itself. Like the mango, it is the produce of 

 a handsome tree, laurel-like in complexion, and with 

 flowers that seem single crimson camellias. Several cases 

 of its ripening in England are upon record. It seems to 

 need only hand-fertilization, but the temperature must 

 be of the highest, and the humidity considerable. 



THE PERSIMON (Diospyros Virginiana). 



THE Persimon is the produce of a tree indigenous to the 

 United States, whence it was brought to this country in 

 1629. The leaves are alternate, ovate, four to six inches 

 long, entire, and glabrous. The inconspicuous yellow 

 flowers are axillary and solitary; the fruit resembles a 

 small yellow plum. After attaining full maturity, it 

 softens, like the medlar, becoming somewhat glutinous, 

 and acquiring a sweet and agreeable flavour, though 

 somewhat austere. It ripens fairly well in the southern 



