By Joseph Sabine. 



Chrysobalanus. Linnceus. 



Small Pigeon Plum. Chrysobalanus ellipticus. 

 Solander in Herb. Banks. 



The Pigeon Plum seen by Mr. Don is a fruit about the 

 size of a large Damson, but round, the skin being of a black 

 colour, and the flesh in flavour resembling the Icaco Plum 

 of the West Indies, with a stone half of its size. The tree 

 which produces it grows plentifully by the sea side, the whole 

 way between Cape Sierra Leone and Cape Shilling, attain- 

 ing a height of ten or twelve feet, and branching much ; its 

 leaves are of a middle size, alternate, elliptic, obtuse, coria- 

 ceous, and very entire, with short petioles, the flowers are white 

 and small, produced in axillary clusters, each having eight or 

 ten blossoms, and bearing afterwards from two to three fruits. 

 The Pigeon Plum of Afzelius* is considered by him the 

 same as the Icaco Plum (Chrysobalanus Icaco) of the West 

 Indies, but Mr. Don did not observe the fruit or see the 

 trees of that species at Sierra Leone. 



The Chrysobalanus found by Professor Smith on the banks 

 of the Congo is probably the same as the Pigeon Plum of 

 Afzelius, and is stated by Mr. BnowNf to be hardly dis- 

 tinguishable from the American Icaco ; it is however widely 

 different from the plant now described. 



Yellow Pigeon Plum. Chrysobalanus luteus. 

 Besides the preceding, Mr. Don gives an account of another 

 fruit belonging to the same genus, about the size and figure 



* See Afzelius's Report, page 238. 



f See Brown on the Congo Plants, page 434, 



