158 
SPICES 
CHA.P. 
flower consists of a cylindric thick ovary, ^ in. long, above 
which are four fleshy ovate sepals, and above this the 
four white rounded petals which form a ball in the bud 
and fall off when the flower opens, displaying a very 
large number of slender stamens, in the midst of which 
is the slender style. After fertilisation by some insect 
the stamens and style fall oflP, and the lower part of the 
flower, with the calyx, develops into a fleshy, dark-pink, 
one-seeded drupe, about 1 in. long and -| in. through in 
the thickest part, with a narrow base dilated upwards, 
obovate in outline. The sepals are reduced to short, 
fleshy triangular points. The seed is oblong, in. long, 
rather soft in texture, and grooved on one side. 
Rumphius {Herbarium Amhoinense, vol. ii. p. 1) 
describes three forms of clove plants. The first has the 
buds hardly red when ripe ; the second, called hugu 
lawan hiri, is smaller and red when ripe, and chiefly 
occurs in Hitoe and Ley Timor ; the third form is hardly 
red when fit for gathering, and the fruit is white, — this 
he calls female cloves. 
HISTORY 
The clove tree appears to be indigenous only to 
a small number of islands in the Moluccas, namely, 
Tidore, Ternate, Mortir, Machian, and Batchian, 
volcanic islands in the neighbourhood of Gilolo. It 
does not, however, appear to be wild in the last 
mentioned island. 
The earliest record of this spice is in Chinese books 
dating from 266 B.c. to 220 B.C., wherein officers of 
the court are required to hold cloves in their mouths 
when addressing their Sovereign. 
A spice which was probably cloves is mentioned by 
Pliny as occurring in India, and resembling pepper- 
corns, but longer and more fragile, and called Caryo- 
phyllum. The Greek word caryophyllon is supposed 
to be derived from caryon (a nut) and phyllon 
(leaf), and to refer to the ball-like mass of petals and 
stamens which terminate the bud ; but as the word is 
