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rose. The carambola, bilimbi ng, corinda, halfaluree, and some 
of the smaller fruits, are pleasant, particularly in tarts and 
preserves. 
Hindostan is celebrated for a variety of flowers and odoriferous 
plants, much esteemed by the Asiatic ladies, but generally too 
powerful for Europeans. The champa ch (michelia champaca, 
Linn.) which resembles the magnolia glauca, and whose blossoms 
perfume the air to a great extent, is the most highly prized. The 
inogree, keurah, oleander, hinna, and several others, whose oriental 
names and characters it would be uninteresting to detail; together 
with myrtles, jasmins, and a few Chinese flowers, flourish in the 
Indian gardens; but two of their principal ornaments are the 
tube-rose and mhadavi (ipomoea, Linn.) the former, both double 
and single, are extremely luxuriant ; and from their alluring 
fragrance in the cool of the evening, are called by the Malays, 
soondul mullam, the intriguer of the night. The mhadavi is a 
most beautiful creeper, covering our seats and arbours with a small 
monopetalous flower, divided into five angular segments, like fine 
crimson velvet, surrounded by a foliage uncommonly delicate: it 
is introduced in the Hindoo drama of Sacontala, translated by 
Sir William Jones, with the blooming patalis, the balmy usira, 
and other flowers highly prized by the Hindoo females. How 
beautiful is the apostrophe of Sacontala to this her favourite plant, 
when about to leave the sacred groves, where she had spent her 
early days in innocence and peace. “ O mhadavi! thou lovely 
creeper, whose red blossoms inflame the grove! O, most radiant of 
shining plants, receive my embraces, and return them with thy 
