AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITiS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 13.] NOVEMBER, 1902. [Vol. j. 



FRUITS OF THE MALAY PENINSULA,—a*/i»««* 



RUBIACE^E. 



This order contains but few edible fruits, and none of these are 

 indigenous to our region. The Negro peach of Africa Sarcoce* 

 phalus esculentus has long been in cultivation in the Botanic 

 Gardens. It is a half scandent shrub with balls of white flowers, 

 followed by a pinkish head of fruits, about an inch through. This 

 however is not very delicious though it is sweet. It is really not 

 worth cultivating except for its ornamental flowers. 



The Voa vanga of Madagascar, Vangueria edulis is another 

 exotic fruit which has been introduced here. It is a large shrub 

 with green flowers, and grten fruits about an inch through. It 

 fruits in the Botanic Gardens, but can hardly be considered worth 

 cultivating for its fruit, which when overripe suggests the flavour 

 of a medlar, but is far from being as excellent a fruit as that. I 

 have found natives who appreciated it. 



The large white translucent head of fruits of the Mengkudu, 

 Morinda tinctoria is sometimes eaten by Malays, who however, 

 do not appear very fond of it. It is not likely to be appreciated 

 by Europeans, as it tastes most like a mixture of soap and sugar. 



Vaccineace/e. 



The berries of Vaccinium malaccense, a shrub growing often 

 abundantly by the seashore in sandy places, is quite eatable. It 

 resembles a bilberry in appearance and taste, but is firmer and 

 less juicy. 



Myrsine^e. 



The drupes of the Mata Pelandok Ardista crenu/ata, a common 

 shrub in open country with pink flowers and scarlet fruits, are 

 eaten by natives. 



Sapotace/e. 



The best known of the fruits of this order is the Sapodilla, or 

 Sapoti, called in the Straits the Chiku (Achras Sapota). This is 

 the fruit of a large shrub, hardly a tree, a native of the West 

 Indies. The fruit is oval or globose with a thin brown skin and a 

 good deal of brown flesh enclosing one or two hard black seeds. 

 The fruit is produced nearly all the year round and requires to be 



