5 00 
COMBRETACE/E, 
The seed of Terminalia Catappa , the Ketapang, sometimes called 
the Singapore almond is occasionally eaten. The tree is a com- 
mon seashore tree and is often planted along roadsides. 
MYRTACE^. 
The Guava, Psidinm Guava is cultivated very commonly all over 
the Peninsula. It is a large hardvvooded shrub, of fairly rapid 
growth. The fruit in the -Straits is rather hard, and does not seem 
ever to get so soft as it does in its native home of South America. 
There are two varieties grown here one with white flesh, the other 
pink. The latter is I think the best form. 
The shrub is grown from seed, and seems to thrive in almost -any 
soil unless very damp or stiff clay. 
The fruit can be eaten raw but is more often cooked and used 
either in the form of Guava jelly or Guava cheese, or stewed for 
tarts which are excellent. The local variety is considered by Mrs. 
Gunn who constantly makes these preserves to be of much superior 
flavour to the Indian variety. The supply in Singapore is however 
very short, and it is not procurable in sufficient quantity. 
Psidium acre , is a similar shrub with smaller round fruit which 
are much more soft and juicy when ripe, and very pleasant to eat. 
It has long been cultivated in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore, 
but is not plentiful, and has hardly been taken up by any cultivators, 
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa . The Karaunting is a very common shrub 
all over our open ground in all parts of the Peninsula. It is about 
5 feet tall with conspicuous white or pink flowers, and small frqits 
about half an inch long of a purplish colour, sweet and with a dis- 
tinct flavour of raspberries. In Southern India the fruit is collected 
and made into jam which is said to be excellent. Here the dif- 
ference of climate makes a considerable difference to the value of 
the fruit, for abundant as it is and readily as it fruits, the dampness 
and heat of the climate causes it to flower and fruit steadily all the 
year round, instead of fruiting all at once so that each bush at any 
given time has usually but half a dozen fruits at most ripe, so that 
it is very difficult to get a large enough quantity together. to make 
jam. 
Eugenia. In this very large genus scattered all over the warmer 
parts^of the world a considerable number of the species have fruits 
more or less eatable though few if any in any part of the world can 
be considered as first class fruits. 
The best known in the East are those belonging to the section 
Jambosa, and commonly known to the Malays as Jambu. 
E. Malaccensis. L., (Malay apple), Jambu Bol, is a fairsized tree 
with large leaves, and beautiful crimson flowers borne on the 
branches. The fruit is about as big as a hen’s egg somewhat pear 
shaped or oblong narrowed at the base, white, often splashed with 
crimson or entirely crimson, with white flesh and a single round 
seed, The fruit has been described as better than a turnip, but 
not so good as an ordinary apple. And indeed though eatable, it 
has very little flavour, ft can be eaten raw, and also cooked stewed, 
