THE EQUATORIAL ZONE. 273 



will be worth while, now we are there, to spend a little time 

 on some few of the plants, so well known by name, which we 

 find there. The spice-bearing trees are naturally our first 

 association, particularly with the Moluccas and Banda Isles. 

 The Clove of commerce (Caryophyllus aromaticus), the un- 

 expanded flower-bud of which is the part which is used as 

 a spice, is one of the Myrtle tribe; the culture of it is 

 entirely confined by the Dutch to the island of Amboyna ; 

 and, in the same way, the Nutmeg is only grown to perfec- 

 tion in the Banda Isles. The Nutmeg-trees (Myristica 

 moschata) form a distinct family by themselves (Myristica- 

 cece]y the flowers of which are very small and without petals. 

 Mace is produced by the same tree ; it is an integument 

 wrapped round and round the Nutmeg, and before it is re- 

 moved it looks something like a kind of trellis-work en- 

 circling the nutmeg, which may be seen lying within. 



Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum] is the bark of a tree be- 

 longing to the aromatic Laurel tribe, and though chiefly 

 the produce of the island of Ceylon, is likewise a native of 

 Java. In this island we are tempted to stay for the sake 

 of seeing how luxuriantly the Yine grows there, which is 

 an unusual sight so near the equator ; the Grapes are even 

 said to be " so large and beautiful that they equal the best 



T 



