By William Lord Bagot. 



a south wall, between two stoves, in the Botanic Garden at 

 Kew, but was destroyed by the severity of the winter of 1814. 

 Though it may with care be kept in the open ground, I do 

 not apprehend it will readily blow when so circumstanced, 

 and it seems to require the heat of a stove to make it bear 

 fruit. When in a conservatory, it occasionally puts forth its 

 blossoms in spring, as well as in autumn. 



A more particular detail of the progress and appearance 

 of the fruit, as ripened by Lord Bagot, is necessary, espe- 

 cially as there seems some variation from what has been 

 stated respecting this part of its economy in the East Indies. 

 When the fruit is growing, the spike remains erect, but as 

 the ripening advances it usually declines, and becomes at 

 last quite pendant. The green fruit of each bunch exceed 

 twenty, though seldom more than six to nine remain to be- 

 come ripe. In the young fruit five loculaments, with the ru- 

 diments of seeds in each, are apparent ; but as it advances, 

 the seeds all become abortive, except one, which occupies 

 the whole centre, pressing to one side the membranes which 

 at first regularly formed loculaments. 



The shape of the fruit, when ripe, is oval, rather irregular, 

 and generally widest at the head, somewhat resembling a 

 small Apricot ; it is of a very delicate pale orange hue, spotted 

 minutely and obscurely with white, partiaUy tinted with faint 

 red, or rather blush, and covered with a fine down; the size 

 is about one inch and a quarter by one inch, though when 

 only two or three remain on a bunch, they are larger. Full 

 two-thirds of the diameter of the fruit in its centre is occu- 

 pied by the single kernel, which is oval, and covered with a 

 thin dark shining skin, the flesh of it is white, solid, and 



