74 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SI AM AND MALACCA. 



trained in climbing, soon brought down some blossoms and fruits. 

 The calix had the same peculiarity as most of the Bauhimas, it 

 split irregularly on the upper side. The corolla was like those 

 of the Bauhinia, but there were three stamina, which spread 

 out on the petals ; the style was like that of the Bauhinia. The 

 pods were threadlike, compressed, pointed, a little hairy, indented 

 and woody. The leaves also were serrated at their ends. 

 I was told that the natives of Pegu eat this pod, which has a 

 bitter taste, and causes an indig^estion if eaten in great quantity. 

 Not far from these plants, which covered several trees, grew a 

 large tree, of the Sontarum sijloster, Rumph : Amb, Par 11, page 

 53, Tab. xi. It had no blossoms at this moment, and the fruits 

 lay on the ground, part of their flesh having already decayed, 

 they were of the size of a gunball and most of them were 

 germinating where they lay. 1 made a small collection of the 

 best among them. 



AVe then came to some high trees, and saw many thread- 

 like stalks which chmbed along their stems. These stalks were 

 three-cornered, about as thick as a quill, wood-like, dark brown 

 and full of projecting prickles. Close to the bark they had short 

 strong fibres with which they clung to the tree. The leaves 

 only began to grow at a height of three or four fathoms, and 

 by their form I could see that it was a kind of fern. After 

 many vain attempts, I succeeded in detaching- one of these 

 stalks and managed to pull down a good amount of leaves and 

 fruits. I discovered it to be an Os/imda, resembling the Lonchi- 

 tes valubites, Rumph, amb, p.vi, page 73, tab. 31. However I 

 have seen all the varieties he mentions in Siam, Malacca, Sallangor, 

 and here, and so I cannot consider this to be a variety as well. 

 The stalks are half round, prickly, dark brown, and equal in size 

 almost to the end; the inner side is flat; between the leaves it 

 divides into a few branches. The leaves are distichous petiolate, 

 simply pinnate, and three feet long. The pinna are alternate, 

 bifarious, lanceolate, acute, spreading, shortly-lined, membranace- 

 ous. The fruit-bearing leaves have the same shape, and the dust 

 almost covers most of the round leaflets entirely ; some of them 

 have at their base leaflets like the other leaves not covered 

 with, this dust. 



At a little distance. from here I found the Pothos pinnate; 

 tlje leaves end obtusely, they are fleshy, and I rarely saw^ one un- 



