535 



Hulletia dumosa. — A low shrub, with oddly shaped triangul ar 

 rounded orange fruits with one or two seeds enclosed in a swe et 

 pulp occurs in the hill forests. The fruits are eatable and pleasant. 



Treculia africana. — A large handsome African tree is grown in 

 the Botanic Gardens. The fruit like that of an Artocarpus is large 

 and almost pear shaped. It is quite uneatable but the seeds are 

 roasted and eaten like chestnuts. They are not large, nor much 

 better than numbers of other seeds of the kind. 



EUPHORBIACE^. 

 The greater number of the plants of this large order are poison- 

 ous, and so supply no eatable fruits. The great exception is in the 

 genus Baccaurea of which the best here is B. Motleyana the 

 Rambai a tree very common in cultivation, and possibly wild. It 

 is a medium sized tree, with the flowers in long racemes from the 

 branches They are unisexual, the female flowers being the largest 

 and some trees are practically males, either bearing no female 

 flowers, or only a few abortive ones. The fruit is borne in long 

 hanging racemes and resemble Dukus in appearance, being elliptic 

 smooth and light buff colour, with a thin. rind enclosing three flat 

 green seeds enclosed in a semitranslucent pulp. Good trees pro- 

 duce large quantities of fruits, but there is a considerable difference 

 in the quality. Of some trees, the fruit is acid, in others sweet and 

 tasting like grapes. The Rambai can be eaten raw or stewed, and 

 it makes very good pies. 



There are one or two other Baccaureas of which the fruit is eat- 

 able, and a popular one is the Tampoi B. Malayana, this has 

 globose fruit with a thick brown rind which splits in three and seeds 

 enclosed in pulp similar to those of the Rambai. The tree is smaller 

 and not very often cultivated though the fruits are sold in the 

 streets in Singapore. 



B. parviflora, Muell. Arg. 'Setambon' is a small tree 12 or 15 feet 

 tall. The flowers of which are borne in racemes at the base of the 

 stems. They are strictly unisexual the trees being male or female. 

 The male flowers are yellow, and scented like Cowslips. The fruit 

 is peculiar, it is fusiform about an inch long pointed at both ends, 

 claret colored and borne often in great abundance forming a great 

 pile on the ground at the base of the stem. It is quite eatable, rind 

 and all though acid and would probably be best cooked. 



Cicca acidissima, Chermci, is a small tree with pinnate foliage, 

 and green drupes with a hard central stone, borne on the stems and 

 wood of the older branches. It is a native of India and is worth 

 cultivating. The fruit is too acid to be eaten raw but makes ex- 

 cellent pies, stewed with plenty of sugar. 



The Malakka, Phyllcuitlius pectinatus a small or medium sized 

 tree with feathery foliage has somewhat similar fruit, but it is in- 

 ferior as the amount of flesh on the comparatively large stone, is 

 less. It is eaten by natives, and is common in our woods. 



The P'rah tree, Elateriospermum Tapos, is a very handsome 

 forest tree common in some of the hill woods. The seed is said to 

 be an important article of diet with the Sakais, who assemble in the 

 localities where it is abundant when the crop is ripe, and live upon it. 



