OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1912. 



27 



34494 to 34496— Continued. 



of an orange, but more easily separated. A small amount of intercellular 

 tissue is usually present, and this must be carefully removed before the fruit is 

 eaten, as it has an intense and disagreeable terebinthine flavor. Three or four 

 of the cells will be found to contain no seeds, or at least only rudimentary ones, 

 and can be eaten entii'e; the one or two cells which contain perfect seeds are 

 usually larger than the rest, and the pulp adheres to the seed quite tenaciously. 

 They are more difficult to handle. The flavor of the pulp resembles that of no 

 temperate fruit; it is subacid or sometimes rather acid, aromatic, and very 

 pleasant unless one happens to obtain a specimen not fully ripe, in which case 

 there is a strong taste of turpentine; like most other Malayan fruits, however, 

 this one has not become popular with Europeans. The duku is produced in 

 small terminal clusters containing from two to five fruits. As the individual 

 fruits do not ripen at the same time, they are picked separately, with the result 

 that one rarely sees clusters of the fruit in the market. 



"General form spherical, sometimes slightly oblate; weight averaging about 

 2 ounces; length 1 to 1| inches, thickness 1^ to 2^ inches; base slightly fmrowed 

 near the stem, rounded or sometimes tapering almost imperceptibly, cavity 

 none; apex slightly flattened, stigmatic point a prominent, raised, brownish 

 dot; calyx persistent, but usually remaining with the stem when the fruit is 

 pulled from the tree; sepals five, small, dry, brownish; peduncle very stout 

 and woody, covered with short, woolly hairs, bearing two to five sessile fruits; 

 surface pubescent, sometimes slightly warty, covered with indistinct longitu- 

 dinal furrowings; color dull, unattractive, brownish yellow, slightly darker 

 near base; skin three-sixteenths of an inch tliick, tough, leathery, separating 

 readily from the flesh; cells five — two, three, or four imperfectly developed and 

 containing only abortive seeds; seed coats membranous; flesh whitish, trans- 

 lucent, melting, very juicy; seeds one or two, perfectly developed, of variable 

 size, oval, flattened, and somewhat irregular in outline; flavor subacid, much 

 superior to that of the langsat. The langsat varies from the above description 

 in being oval, produced in large clusters, and having a much thinner skin, by 

 which characters it can be immediately distinguished. It is fully described as 

 follows: General form oval to roundish oval; weight averaging not more than 1 

 ounce; length 1 to 1^ inches, thickness | to 1^ inches; base rounded, canity 

 none; apex rounded, crowned by a hard, short, brownish point; calyx per- 

 sistent, sepals five, small, brownish; peduncle medium stout, woody, covered 

 with short hairs, and bearing 5 to 20 sessile fruits; surface slightly wrinkled 

 longitudinally; tomentose; color dull brownish yellow, slightly darker near the 

 base; skin rather tough, thin, and leather^^ separating readily from the flesh; 

 cells five — two, three, or four imperfectly developed and containing only 

 abortive seeds; flesh whitish, translucent, melting, juicy; seeds, one or two 

 perfectly developed of variable size, oval, flattened, sometimes rather irregular 

 in outline, seed coats membranous; flavor subacid, not very agreeable, as it is 

 somewhat terebinthine. 



"During its season the langsat is quite common in the Manila markets and 

 sells at a good price. A cluster of the fruits looks not unlike a cluster of loquats, 

 except in the less attractive color. 



"It is a medium-sized, rather slender tree, native of the Malay Archipelago. 

 The compound leaves are made up of six or eight oblong-lanceolate gla- 

 brous leaflets about 4 inches in length and 1| inches in breadth, the peiiole 

 very short. Except in the difference in the size of the fruit clusters, the two 

 forms are, as far as could be ascertained, practically the same in characters of 

 growth and foliage.*' 



