260 DICTIONAKY OF POPULAR NAMES MALAY 



fonnd near the sea. It is also native of this country, chiefly on 

 the south-western coast, and flourishes on the Bass Kock in the 

 Firth of Forth. It is grown as a curiosity in cottage gardens. 

 Its cultivation has been attempted for the sake of its fibre, but 

 not with any good results, as the fibre is coarse. 



Malay Apple (Eugenia malaccensis), a handsome, strong- 

 growing, smooth-leaved tree of the Myrtle family (Myrtacese), 

 producing a profusion of scarlet flowers from the stem and 

 branches, which are succeeded by abundance of fruit, about the 

 size of a small apple. The tree is common in India, Malayan 

 Peninsula and Islands. The pulp of the fruit is said to be 

 wholesome and agreeable. A plant in the Palm-house at Kew, 

 20 feet high, often produces abundance of fruit. In its native 

 country it attains a height of 40 to 50 feet, and according to 

 Dr. Seemann the Malay Apple is common in the Sandwich and 

 Fijian Islands. There are two varieties, one with white 

 flowers and the other with scarlet, which are produced in such 

 abundance that when they begin to fall the ground is one sheet 

 of red or white, and when intermingled look like a carpet. 

 The natives call the tree Kavika, and they hold it in venera- 

 tion; and in their imagination the Kavika tree represents all 

 that is lovely and beautiful The fruit is large and quince- 

 shaped, with apple-like smell and delicate flavour, which is suf- 

 ficient to justify the praise Polynesians bestow upon it. This is 

 probably a distinct species from E. malaccensis of India. 



Maloo, a name in India for Bauhinia Vahlii, a woody 

 climber of the Bean family (Leguminosse). It has thick woody 

 stems 200 to 300 feet long, climbing over and interlacing the 

 highest trees in the forests, twisting it so tightly that the tree 

 becomes strangled and dies, the Bauhima remaining as a tree. 

 Its bark is very tough and strong, and is used for making ropes 

 and suspension bridges. Its leaves are about a foot in diameter, 

 in the form of two lobes joined at the edges. They are sold at 

 bazaars for domestic purposes, and are used for making platters. 

 Another species, B, mriegata, is a small tree, 20 feet high, 

 common in India, China, the Moluccas, and other islands of 



