THE CLOVE. Ill 



because the\' are small. But the red berries, which are 

 like those of our Cornel tree, are conspicuous among the 

 foliage. The botanical name of the plant is JErythroxyloii 

 Coca: it is a distinct famih- limited to this one genus, 

 which however includes man^- species. The lea^'es are 

 slighth' aromatic and ha^'e a pleasanth' bitter flavour. 

 The pure alkaloid is a colourless cr\-stal which dissolves 

 onl\' a little in water, easih" in alcohol and best in ether. 

 The histor\' of the Clove plant is particularh' inte- 

 resting, for it has played C[uite an important part in the 

 histor\' of the cultivation of spices. Jiugcnia Carvo- 

 ^Jtvllala, the Clove plant, belongs to the M^Ttaceae, as 

 do also the iVlvrtle, Eucalyptus, Guava and Rose-apple 

 which we see in La R'lortola Gardens. It is a shapeh', 

 evergreen tree which can grow to a height of thirt\' feet. 

 The leaves are leathery and shin\', with translucent 

 fipots. The flo\\'ers are borne in terminal corymbs. 

 The four-angled llower stem spreads out at its apex into 

 four thick calyx limbs which bear the petals and stamens 

 at their base. The corolla falls off when the flower 

 opens; but the buds, or "cloves", are gathered shorth' 

 before this happens. These are either picked \>\ hand 

 or knocked off with Bamboo rods. Cloves, then, are 

 the unopened blossoms of a Myrtaceous plant, and are 

 in no wa\' connected with the species of Dianthus ot 

 our gardens which we call Clove Pinks, although their 

 perfume is alike. When dry the cloves change from a 

 dark red to the familiar brown. Cloves were known to 

 the Chinese before our era. In the fourth century B. C. they 

 ■\\-ere brought to Europe. For a long time it was 



