10 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES ALLIGATOR 



Alligator Pear, a name in the West Indies for Persea 

 gratissima, a small tree of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). 

 A native of the West Indies and tropical America, attain- 

 ing the height of 20 or more feet. It produces an oblong, 

 pulpy fruit, about the size of a large pear. It is now com- 

 mon in the Mauritius and other hot countries, where, as 

 well as in the West Indies, it is much esteemed as a dessert 

 fruit. 



AUmug, Tree of Scripture. {See Sandal- wood.) 

 . Allspice {Pimcnta officinalis), a small, bushy tree of the 

 Myrtle family (Myrtaceas), extensively cultivated in Jamaica 

 for the sake of its fruit. On the north side of the island 

 Pimento walks are found on a large scale, occupying many 

 acres. The fruits, which are of the size of currants, are gathered 

 before they are quite ripe, and in drying become of a brownish- 

 black colour ; they are then ready for the market. They par- 

 take of the smell and flavour of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. 

 They are used as a spice for flavouring food, and are also used 

 as a stimulant, and an oil is obtained by distillation equal to 

 oil of cloves. In Jamaica the berries are highly spoken of as a 

 substitute for tobacco, being odoriferous, but they require a long 

 pipe to smoke them, when they afford a treat unknown in 

 smoking tobacco. The berries of an allied species, P. acris, are 

 also called Pimento. 



Almendor, or Almond, a name given in Brazil to Geoffroya 

 swperha, a tree of the Bean family (Leguminosse), having winged 

 leaves ; common in Brazil and Venezuela. Its fruit is a legu- 

 minous drupe about the size of a walnut, with a greenish-yellow 

 downy rind and a fleshy pulp enclosing a hard, nut-like seed. 

 It is boiled and used as food by the Indians, and the kernel of 

 the nut is also eaten. It grows abundantly on the Island of 

 San Pedro, on the Eio San Francisco, and forms the principal 

 food of the natives. Humboldt, who saw it in Venezuela, 

 describes it as a magnificent tree, having glossy leaves and a 

 great abundance of yeUow flowers ; he also says the wood is 

 hard and takes a fine polish. 



