104 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



the alternate ovate leaves, bent very much because they are thin 

 and threadlike. Most of their stems were covered with parasiti- 

 cal plants, either with a kind of Oontorta (Apocijnacea') unknown 

 to me, which had round leaves and linear follicles grooved at the 

 base, and beaked, but no blossoms, or they were Filices or Orchids 

 There were some others, which I was not able to classify at all. 



The sea coco tree I saw in the garden formerly belonging- 

 to a curious man, who had been a great friend of science, a Mr. 

 Bartolmei de Vents, who had died a short time previously. His 

 death is the more deplorable as, besides his riches and his love 

 for science and the knowledge he had acquired therein, he posses- 

 sed much land here, and was highly respected by the Malays, 

 who generally are so treacherous and dang'erous. A nut of this 

 sea coco tree was still lying on the ground and out of it had 

 sprung a root, descending' into the ground, but no stem has as 

 yet formed. The leaves being- still young and not yet divided 

 into strips resembled those of the ordinary coco-trees, only the 

 folds were much narrower and the leaf itself wider than those of 

 the young' coco-trees; the tree was three years old, and a second 

 one, which was full grown had died the year before. (Lodoicen 

 seychellarum), 



Cynomorium cauliflorum* had fruits and blossoms ; the people 

 said that if they did not enclose the tree in matting or a kind of 

 hedge, so that it was dark, it was ashamed to bear fruit there- 

 fore all the stems were surrounded with cocomats. The fruit is 

 eaten. In another garden, close to this one, the possession of a 

 Portuguese widow, I saw several trees of the Theohroma Cocoa 

 They had many blossoms and fruits, which like those of the 

 Cynomorium grew on the stem and the largest branches in short 

 fascicles ; the owner promised to give me many fruits and some 

 young plants. In a little garden she had some plants of the blue 

 Capsicum ; all of this tree was blue, even the fruits were of a 

 blue black. Piper nigrum climbed upon an old stem of a 

 Maringos tree and had blossoms and fruits; Piper Sirihoa^ g'rew 

 along a hedg^e. There also was a plant with beautiful whitish 

 linear leaves, but without blossom, they called it the Chinese 

 vermouth. J There were also some Dianthus with double blossoms. 

 Dolichos Soya and Dolychos with a winged pod had been planted 



* Cynometra Cmdijlora (the Nam-Nam) 

 t Betel peppei\ % Probably Artemisia 



