16 THE CUB A REVIEW 



world it is highly esteemed as a shade or ornamental tree, and is often used in avenue 

 planting. At the same time it bears an edible fruit, so greatly relished by children. The 

 tree has been neglected, however, for it surely deserves more attention, because all parts 

 of it are used by man in one form or another. 



This large plant group (Myrtaceae) to which the jambolan belongs, comprises about 

 2,800 species of woody plants, many of which are of considerable economic importance; 

 the rose apple, allspice, guava. cloves and eucahptus are all closely related to the 

 jambolan. Many of the species of Eugenia yield agreeably tasting fruits, some of which 

 are native to the new world; most of them, however, are Indian trees, and some of the 

 noteworthy species have been introduced to the American tropics. 



The jambolan is a fair-sized tree growing chiefly along rivers, and for this reason is 

 called mirto del rio in Cuba, where the tree is cultivated for its fruit, and is also found 

 in gardens as ornaments. The fruit is a small, shiny, black or blue berry varying in size 

 from a cherry to a small pigeon egg; the fruits occur in clusters almost similar to the 

 grape. The leaves are broadly oblong, from two to five inches long and from two to three 

 inches wide, thick, shiny and very beautiful when fully matured. 



As a rule the first is rather astringent and is best when prepared by cooking it first and 

 making it into tarts and puddings. A wine is sometimes prepared from it, and in India 

 the fruits are distilled and a brandy made from it. Its chief use in the Far East is for 

 making vinegar. The seeds are medicinal and used as a cure for diabetes. The leaves of 

 the tree supply food for the silk worm, and the bark yields a source of commercial tannin. 

 The wood corresponds to that of our wild cherry and is equally as useful. The tree is 

 held in veneration in India and is usually planted around the temples. It is regarded as 

 sacred to Krishna. 



The Cucumber Tree 



A very small percentage of the general readers living in the temperate zones know 

 the cucumber trees, of which there are two known species distributed throughout the 

 warmer parts of the globe. One kind is commonly called Carambola (Averrhoa caram- 

 bola) and the other Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi). The generic term Averrhoa was given to 

 these trees in honor of an Arabian physician named Averrhoes, who was one of the first 

 to recommend and use their fruits in the treatment of certain skin diseases. 



These two species differ from the rest of the members of the wood sorrel family 

 (Oxalidacecc) in so far that they grow to be fair-sized trees, while all the other 250 or 

 more species are herbs or small shrubs. But like all plants of this interesting plant group, 

 they are acid and more or less astringent due to the peculiar and powerful oxalates present 

 in the leaves and fruit. 



These trees inhabit the tropics of both hemispheres, but the carambola seems to be 

 qualified to grow successfully and produce fruit also in the warmer parts of the temperate 

 zones, as in southern California and South Brazil. Both are common in India, Ceylon, 

 Burma and other parts of the Far East and South Sea Islands, and have now become 

 thoroughly naturalized in Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and the mainland of tropical South 

 America. It is not known where these trees originated; they are not natives of India, 

 but are reported to have first been brought to Ceylon by Portuguese traders from the 

 Molucca Islands, which was probably the case. It is not believed that they are of 

 American origin, as some writers state. 



In regions of their best development the cucumber trees sometimes attain a height 

 exceeding thirty feet. The leaves are pinnate on the order of a mimosa and are more or 

 less sensitive to the touch. Bruce, an, English investigator and writer, stated that the 

 leafstalk, and even the small branches, move quite noticeably when touched. 



The carambola is grown for the sake of its fruit, which has a flavor and general 

 appearance quite its own. The fruit is oval from two to four, and even six inches in 

 length and nearly two inches through. It has been described as an ellipsoid fleshy 



