378 STURTEV ant's notes on edible plants 



Mussaenda frondosa Linn. Rubiaceae. 



A large shrub of tropical eastern Asia and the neighboring islands. This shrub is 

 common in the Ghauts of India, and its strange-looking, white, calycine leaves are eaten.' 



M3nica cordifolia Linn. Myricaceae. myrica. 



South Africa. The farmers use the wax from the berries for candles, but the Hottentots 

 eat this wax either with or without meat.* 



M. faya Ait. candleberry myrtle. 



Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands. This is a small tree whose drupaceous fruits 

 are used for preserves.' 



M. gale Linn, sweet gale. 



Of northern climates. The French in Canada call it laurier and put the leaves into 

 broth to give it a pleasant taste.* In England, the leaves are sometimes used to flavor 

 beer as an agreeable substitute for hops. The berries are employed in France as a spice.' 



M. nagi Thunb. 



Tropical Asia and subtropics. This is the yang-mae of China, the yamomomoki of 

 Japan and is commonly cultivated in these countries, being held in esteem for its subacid 

 fruits, which are eaten both raw and cooked. They are roimd, one-seeded drupes of deep 

 red color, with a tuberculated or granulated surface resembling that of the fruit of the 

 strawberry tree.* Forttme ^ refers to a species, probably this, called yang-mae in China. 

 The wild variety san, is a fine Chinese fruit tree usually grafted upon M. sapida. It is 

 called sophee in Silhet, where the fruit is eaten both raw and cooked.' It has an agreeably- 

 flavored fruit, though with too large a stone in proportion to the fleshy part ; but this, says 

 Royle,' might probably be remedied by cultivation. This fruit tree would probably 

 repay the trouble of culture. The fruit is eaten in India, saj^ Brandis,"'and is sold in 

 the bazaars of the hills. 



Myristica acuminata Lam. Myristiceae. nutmeg. 



Madagascar. This species yields nutmegs in Brazil, in the Philippine Islands and 

 in Madagascar. 



M. fragrans Houtt. nutmeg. 



Moluccas. The nutmeg tree is found wild in Giolo, Ceram, Amboina, Booro, the 

 western peninsula of New Guinea and in many of the adjacent islands. It has been intro- 



Pickering, C. Chron. Hist. Pis. 300. 1879. 

 Thunberg, C. P. Trav. 1:167. 1795- 

 Mueller, F. Sel. Pis. 289. 1891. 



* Kalm, P. Trav. No. Amer. 2:345. 1772. 



' Johnson, C. P. Useful Pis. Gt. Brit. 239. 1862. 



Moore, T. Treas. Bot. 2:1319. 1876. 

 'Fortune, R. Resid. Chinese 64, 65. 1857. 

 Moore, T. Treai. SoJ. 2:1319. 1876. 

 Royle, J. F. Iliuslr. Bot. Himal. 1:347. 1839. 



"> Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 495. 1874. 



