INDIA N FL O ] I 'ERS. 52 1 



as fruit is merely the fleshy, succulent juicy peduncle. It is very attractive from 

 its bright red, orange, or yellow colour, but is acrid. The acridity is removed if a 

 l)inchful of salt is added and the juice squeezed out. Bub then the whole 

 pleasure of eating is lost. For, to some, with all its acridity, the juice is agreeable. 

 Our village boys use the fruit almost immoderately and without apparent suffer- 

 ing ; but I throw this hint for the benefit of those whose sense of taste would not 

 permit of the slightest acridity, no matter however agreeable the juice may 

 otherwise be. The flowers are prettily marked with crimson streaks and smell 

 strongly of cloves. The flowers of Spondias mangifera (Ambada) ap|)ear as 

 beautiful vvhite stars when closely examined. Their odour is delicately sweet. 

 The tree is in blossom now in numerous stout erect compound panicles, shooting 

 from terminal leafless branches. Coming to the Leguminous order now, we 

 find many scented representatives in its three sub-orders. Divi-divi {Ccesalpinia 

 coriaria), a West Indian exotic of recent introduction into this country, valued so 

 much for the copious tannin contained in its pods, is now one of our most flourishing 

 roadside plants. Its beautiful whitish yellow flowers iu dense masses are deli- 

 ciously fragrant. The plant appears to me to be as worthy of cultivation for its 

 remarkably sweet odour as it is for the tannin it so abundantly furnishes. The 

 Acacias and Albizzias are mostly productive of more or less fragrant flowsrs of 

 vvhite and yellow hue. But I must mention one from amongst them particularly* 

 It is the bright yellow globular flower borne by Acacia Farnecsiana, which we com- 

 monly call Kesurdi here. The smell of its flowers surpasses in sweetness and 

 persistence that of any of the other representatives of this order. The Rose order 

 I must pass by as it is well known to you. It would require a separate paper to 

 dwell on the beauties and fragrance of the many cultivated species and varieties of 

 the Hose we have been able to grow, thanks to our European flower-loving co- 

 workers in the field of practical gardening. Among the Lythraeece, our common 

 Hena {LTwsonia alba) is a highly and presistently scented plant. The flower is 

 pale greenish-yellow and not much to look at, but its large close-|)acked terminal 

 cymes throw out abundant flowers which fill the air with agreeable fragrance for 

 several yards from where the plant is growing. It is a hardy plant, well worthy 

 of being used more freely for garden and field hedges. Among the CornacecB, our 

 Ankoli [Alangium Lamarckii) is noted for the fragrance of its fasciculate shreddy 

 white flowers. The tree is in full blossom now from head to foot. Leafless as 

 it appears at the present moment, it is none the less charming to the eye with its 

 ample blossom. Among the Rubiacece the most noted for its delicate fragrance is 

 the Anthocephalus Kadamba (Kalamb), the large globular yellow heads of which 

 are so striking to the eye. 



The Gardenias also are variously scented. It may be observed, however, that 

 in the opinion of some the smell of Gardenia lucida (Dikamali) is not parti- 

 cularly agreeable, and I am doubtful as to whether it would not be proper to 

 class this under the head of oftensive flowers. Its congener, however. Garde- 

 nia Jlorida {Ananb, ov Ga.ndh-'Ra.j) is exquisitely fragrant. The softness of its 

 thick white petals marks it as a flower of great beauty in our gai'dens. Though 



