JAVA FRUIT. 219 



Gardens abound in the neighbourhood, and fruit trees 

 are plentiful : it is the home of the 



Mangosteen [Garciyiia mangostana) — (Plate XXL): 

 without exception the most delicious fruit I 

 ever tasted; its rind, when ripe, is of a red- 

 dish brown, similar to a small pomegranate, 

 and its flesh underneath a dark crimson pulp, 

 but the edible portion, in the shape of a 

 peeled Mandarine orange, resembles more 

 a compact mass of snow than anything else ; 

 with soft kernels of an elongated shape, 

 others without. The flavour of this fruit is 

 not easily described : it is something of the 

 pine-apple, orange, and vanilla, exceedingly 

 delicate and very juicy, but it must be 

 eaten as soon as it is ripe. The rambutan, 

 already mentioned in Ceylon, has a some- 

 what similar flavour. 



The Loquat [Eriohotrya japonica). 



The Guava [Psidium pijriferum). 



The Pomegranate (Punica granatum). 



The Fig [Ficus carica). 



The Breadfruit [Artocarpus incisa). 



The Custard apple [Anona squamosa) : filled with 

 a delicious cream-coloured vanilla pulp. 



The Pine-apple (Bromelia ananas). 



