S02 



Memecylon cdule. A shrub with blue flowers and small drupes, 

 is common about our coasts. The fruit is eatable but hardly worth 

 gathering. 



Lythrace^. 



Sonneratia alba. u Perupat " is a very abundant tree along our 

 sea coast, often growing in the sea itself, it has a round fruit flat- 

 tened a"t the top about an inch and a half across. 



The fruit is eaten by natives and when quite ripe is not unplea- 

 sant reminding one of a medlar. 



Pomegranate, Punica Granatum L., is often grown in gardens 

 in the Straits. It seems to prefer rather sandy soil. The fruit here 

 is small and poor, and indeed the plant seems to be more cultivated 

 for its flowers and the medicinal properties of its roots than for its 

 fruits. 



SAMYDACE/E. 



The chief genus of this order is Casearia, a number of shrubs or 

 small trees of which the seeds are inclosed in a red eatable pulp 

 One of them is known as Casearia esculenta, but though the pulps 

 is eatable it is certainly not worth the trouble of eating. 



Passiflore^. 



The climbing passion-flowers (Passiflora) have often fruit which 

 is eatable, and in some cases really excellent. Of these the best 

 are Passiflora quadrangular is and P. laurifolia. 



The first of these the Grenadilla, has large green fruits 6 inches 

 long with a thick rind and a good deal of pulp of a very pleasant 

 flavour round the seeds. It is eaten raw and the rind is sometimes 

 preserved in sugar as a sweetmeat. The Sweet cup Passiflora 

 laurifolia is much smaller, about the size qf a hen's egg, orange 

 yellow in colour. The rind is thin and not used as preserve. This 

 is the best fruit of the two, and the most popular. 



The passion flowers grow readily from seed or cuttings and can 

 be let to climb on a trellis or on low trees. They grow rapidly 

 and fruit well, especially the Sweet-cup, but are often plundered 

 by civet cats, monkeys and bats. 



The Papaya (Carica papaya) is a native of South America but 

 has been cultivated all over the tropics for many years. The tree 

 is raised from seed, and is of very rapid growth. It prefers rich 

 rather damp soil, but will thrive in almost any soil, except very stiff 

 clay or very wet spots. It is unisexual. The flowers in the female 

 tree being on short pedicles on the upper part of the stein. Those 

 of the male being in long pendent racemes. Hermaphrodite 

 flowers often occur on the male inflorescence and produce small 

 abortive fruits. The flowers are fertilized by night moths usually 

 hawk-moths. 



The Papaya fruits almost all the year, and is one of the best and 

 most wholesome of our fruits. In sub-tropic;d parts of the world, 

 the fruits have a strong coarse flavour of nasturtiums, but those 

 of the Straits and other places near the tropics have barely a taste 

 of this and are often as good as a melon. Though so extensively 



