THE GAMBOGE FAMILY. 



481 



persistent rays of the stigma. It is considered one of the 

 most delicious fruits known, being peculiarly grateful and 

 refreshingly cool to the taste. 



Xanthochymus pictorius. A native of many parts of India, 

 similar in growth to the Mangosteen, but has longer, firm 

 leaves and an oblong fruit ; it is nearly as much esteemed. 

 In this country it grows and fruits more freely than the 

 Mangosteen. X. ovalifolius is similar but has blunter leaves ; 

 it is a native of Ceylon. Both these yield gamboge, but of 

 inferior quality. 



Hog Gum {Moronobea coccinea). A lofty tree, native of 

 the West Indies and many parts of tropical America, By 

 incisions it yields a gum of the consistency of Burgundy 

 pitch, obtained in considerable quantities. In Jamaica it is 

 known as Hog Gum, it is said from Hogs rubbing themselves 

 against it as it issues from the trees. 



Butter and Tallow Tree {Pentadesma hutyracea). A tree, 

 native of Sierra Leone, and other parts of Western tropical 

 Africa. It attains the height of 30 or 40 feet, and bears an 

 inversely pear-shaped fruit of a dark brown colour containing 

 a yellow greasy juice, which is used by the natives mixed 

 with their food, but its strong turpentine flavour is not 

 palatable to Europeans. It is sold as butter in the markets 

 of Freetown, but it must not be confounded with Shea butter. 



Mammee Apple {Mammea americana). A native of the 

 West Indies and of tropical America. It attains the height 

 of 60 or 70 feet, and has broad, smooth, firm, ovate leaves, 

 and fruit of an angular form, the size of a small melon, with 

 a tough skin enclosing another thin yellow skin, firmly 

 adhering to the flesh, which is also of a yellow colour and 

 has a pleasant taste. It is a common table fruit, and is 

 made into a preserve. The bark is a powerful astringent, 

 and even poisonous. 



Calophyllwn inophyllum. A native of India and of the 

 Malay and other islands. It attains the height of from 80 to 

 100 feet. The trunk yields a resin, and an essential oil is 

 obtained from the seeds. It is a handsome tree and is often 



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