HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 47 
The Ampelantghi. An agreeable plant, which grows to the height of twelve 
inches. 
The - Sondi-fa-fat. A plant, which is found on the sea-shore. The Malegaches 
rub their bodies with the leaves when they have suffered fatigue; and these frictions 
revive and refresh them: they pretend that its leaves are incorruptible. When me¬ 
dically applied, they are found to possess healing qualities. 
The Vognin d’oseng. A plant, whose leaf resembles that of the lily; the time 
of its flowering marks the. season for the whale fishery : the prows of the piroguas, 
employed on that commercial service, are adorned with garlands of these flowers. 
The Azimena. A very agreeable shrub, that grows to the height of four feet: its 
top is tufted, and its leaves are thick and of a fine green : its flower emits a very 
fragrant odour. 
The Toulon gouala. A shrub, whose odoriferous leaves serve the Malegaches for 
pillows: it rises to the height of four feet, and its fruit is bitter, oily, and aromatic. 
The Voua-azigne. This is the straightest and loftiest tree of Madagascar; its 
yellow, hard, and compact wood is employed in building houses, and forming the 
keels of the great piroguas. The resinous juice that flows from it is yellow, like 
amber, and of a glutinous quality, but without any smell. The Malegaches extract 
from this valuable tree a clear oil, which, when fresh, is of an agreeable flavour: 
rice when mixed with it becomes a more delicate food; and this application of it is 
very common among the natives of the island. 
The Tougmonnam. This tree grows on the summit of the mountains; its wood, 
which is weighty, and of a yellowish-bronze colour, is used for inlaying, and to make 
sagayes. 
The Vohan silan. This tree attains the height of twelve feet; its trunk is straight, 
and covered with thorns, but without leaves, which form a thick tuft round its top: 
they are of a vefy fine green, are four inches and an half in length, and two and an 
half in breadth. The wood-pigeons are greedy of its fruit, which is of a very sin¬ 
gular shape. . 
The Toulon. A shrub, which grows in a bushy form, in any kind of soil; the 
fruit is called the Madagascar strawberry; it has a very agreeable flavour, and is 
esteemed by,Europeans, as well as by the natives. 
The Voua-severantou. A shrub, which also grows in a bushy form, to the height 
of seven feet, and loves a sandy soil: its wood is white. 
