32 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



yet be discovered wild in some islands nearer to 

 Java." 



De Candolle, from the foregoing, evidently thinks 

 that the pummelo is a distinct species, and that its wild 

 progenitor, yet undiscovered, will, by further search, 

 turn up somewhere. This may or may not happen ; 

 but what I should like to ask is this : Is the cultivated 

 C. decumana so different from others that it is im- 

 perative it should owe its existence to a distinct wild 

 species ? 



Alph. de Candolle says : " I take this species first, 

 because its botanical character is more marked than 

 that of the others. It is a larger tree, and this species 

 alone has down on the young shoots and the under 

 sides of the leaves. The fruit is spherical, or nearly 

 spherical, larger than an orange, sometimes even as 

 large as a man's head. The juice is slightly acid, the 

 rind remarkably thick." 



Sir J. D. Hooker, in his " Flora of British India," 

 under the heading of Citrus decumana, Linn. (Shad- 

 dock, Pummelo, Pompelmoes), says : " Young shoots 

 pubescent, petiole broadly winged, flowers large white, 

 stamens 16 to 24, fruit large pale, globose or pyriform, 

 rind thick, pulp pale, sweet or acrid. Commonly cul- 

 tivated in India. A native of the Malayan and Poly- 

 nesian islands. A tree 30 to 40 feet, leaflets 6 to 9 

 inches. Fruit often very large, pulp yellow, pink, or 

 crimson, sweet or acrid, vesicles distinct." 



I made special observations on the Citrus in various 

 parts of India and Ceylon, with the view of ascertain- 

 ing how far the supposed distinctive character of 

 piibescence on the young shoots and leaves of the pum- 

 melo is based on fact. The result of my researches I 

 am afraid is that this pubescence, or minute hairs, on 

 the young shoots and leaves of the pummelo, as a 



