CURIOUS FRUITS 577 



REMARKABLE OR CURIOUS FRUITS 



Barringtonia speciosa. " Mudilla." (Myrtaccac). A large, curious 4-angled cube- 

 like fruit. See Flowering Trees. 



Cassia Fistula. Pudding Pipe, " Eh-ela." (Legit iiiiuosiie). Long cylindrical 

 brown pods, up to 3 feet in length. See Flowering Trees. 



Castanospermum australe. Morelon Bay Chestnut. (Legnminosae). Stout brown 

 pods, 5 to 7 inches long, with hard shells and large brown oval seeds. 



Citrus Decumana. Pumelo. ( Rntaceae ). Large globular succulent fruits- 

 yellowish or bright orange-yellow. See Fruit Trees. 



Couroupita guianensis. Cannon Ball. (Myrtaceae). Large round brown fruits 

 of the size of a man's head. See Flou'ering Trees. 



Crescentia Cujele. Tree Calabash. (Bignoniaceae). Very quaint large smooth- 

 shelled fruit, oval in shape. The hard shell is polished and used for orna- 

 ments. 



C. plectrantha. Tree Calabash (Bignoniaccae) Fruit as above, but round-shaped. 



Cucurbita maxima. Pumpkin; Wataka. S. (Cnrcnrbitnccae). A climbing or creep- 

 ing gourd, bearing immense round smooth fruits, which are generally 

 flattened at both ends; the seasoned and polished shells last for many 

 years. 



Dillenia indica. " Honda-para " S. (Dilleninceae). Large greenish succulent 

 fruits. See Fruit Trees. 



Lodoicea sechellarum. Double-Coconut; Coco-de-mer; "Mudu-pol," S. (Palnuic). 

 Immense hard-shelled nuts, usually 2-(sometimes 3-) lobed. Peculiar to 

 Seychelles. Introduced at Peradeniya in 1850. 



Entada scandens. Elephant Creeper; " Pus-well " S. (Legnminosae). An im- 

 mense jungle climber, bearing enormous flat pods. 4 to 5 ft. long by 

 3-4. in. broad. Forests of moist low-country. See. p. 576. 



Hura crepitans. Sandbox Fruit. (Eitplwrbiaceae). Curious round hard fruit, 

 flattened at both ends and divided into numerous rounded sections each 

 containing one seed; dehisces explosively with a loud report. 



Hydnocarpus octandra. (Bi\aceae). Round, jet black, velvety, pendulous fruits 

 of the size of oranges. 



Jumping Beans. The maggot of a moth (L'arpocapsa sal titans}, which is hatched 

 inside the small half-round capsule of certain Euphorbiaceous trees of 

 Mexico, whence the " bean " is exported as a curiosity. Warmth renders 

 the maggot active, when the beans begin to roll or jump about. 



Kigelia pinnata. Sausage Fruit. (Bignoniaceac}. Stout pod-like fruits, 14 inches 

 or more in length by 3 in. in diameter, suspended by long thin cords 

 4 to 6 ft. in length; produced by a spreading medium-si/ed tree. 



Lagenaria vulgaris. Bottle Gourd. (Cncnrbitaceae). Variously shaped large 

 gourds, often bottle-or club-shaped, 1 to 2 ft. or more in length. 



Lecythis Ollaria. Monkey Pot. (Lccythidaccac). A large hard woody brown 

 fruit, furnished with a close-fitting lid at the top. 



Martynia diandra. Snake's Head; Tiger's-claw; Naka-tali, T.(Pedaliaccae). Hard 

 woody oblong fruits with 2 strong curved spines, native of Mexico, natur- 

 alised in Cevlon. 



