Part 4

This shrub is said to be a native of Brazil. In Hawaii, it is a common garden plant, sometimes reaching a height of 10 feet. Its glossy leaves are ovate-lanceolate, and its peduncles short. It has small, single, white fragrant flowers. The mature fruit, which resembles a cherry, is about 1 inch in diameter, and is ribbed longitudinally. It has a delicious, spicy, acid flavor. There is generally one large, round, smooth seed.

One third natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XV

Eugenia sp.

This is a small Malayan tree which is rare in Hawaii. It has regular, opposite, large, broad leaves; with the stems and branches four-sided. The purplish-white flowers are produced in clusters. The waxy light-green fruits, with a persistent calyx, resemble a small guava. These fruits have a very tough, pithy skin and pulp combined, which is edible, but too dry to be agreeable. The seed is large in proportion to the size of the fruit.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XVI

Syzygium Jambolana.

JAVA PLUM.

This tall, hardy tree is a native of Southern Asia. In Polynesia it grows well, up to an elevation of 5000 feet. It is a very common tree in the Hawaiian Islands. Its leaves, which are from 4 to 6 inches long, and from 2 to 3 inches broad, are opposite, obtuse or shortly-acuminate. The flowers, which bloom in June, July and August, are white and quite fragrant, and are especially attractive to the honey-bee. The oblong fruit grows in large clusters, ripens from September until November, and varies in size from a cherry to a pigeon's egg. It is purplish-black in color, and is edible only when thoroughly ripe. It contains one large, oblong seed.

One half size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XVII

Syzygium Jambolana (small variety).

JAVA PLUM.

This tree, which is also very common in the Hawaiian Islands, is said to have been introduced by Dr. Hillebrand. It bears but one crop a year, will grow in any soil, and withstands dry weather. The foliage is smaller than that of the preceding variety; its leaves are narrower, and a lighter green in color. It blooms at about the same time of year, but its flowers are not as large, and appear in thick bunches. The purplish fruit ripens from September until December.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XVIII

Averrhoa Carambola.

This tree, which is said to have been named after Averrhoes, an Arabian physician, is a native of Insular India, and is much cultivated in India and China. It is evergreen, with dense foliage, and grows to a height of from 15 to 20 feet. It is easily propagated from seeds, and fruits in about three years. In Hawaii it bears one crop annually, the flowers appearing in July and the fruit in November and December. The leaves are alternate, odd-pinnate. The flowers, which are borne in clusters on the naked stems and branches, are minute, fragrant, and in color shading from a pale pink to a deep purplish-red. The fruit, varying in size from a hen's egg to an orange, is ovate, and has five acutely-angled longitudinal ribs. The fragrant, light-yellow skin is very thin, and the pulp is watery; it contains a number of flat, brown seeds. This fruit is of two varieties: the sweet, which may be eaten raw, and the acid which is delicious when preserved. A very appetizing pickle may be made from the half-ripe fruit of the acid variety.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XIX

Achras Sapota.

SAPODILLA, OR NASEBERRY.

This tree, which grows on almost all of the Islands of the Hawaiian group, is a fine evergreen, growing to a height of from 10 to 20 feet, and producing a fruit which is much prized in warm countries. The bark possesses tonic properties, and from the juice chewing-gum is made. Its foliage is dense, and the shiny leaves are thick, lance-oblong, entire, and clustered at the ends of the branches. The flowers, which are small, whitish, and perfect, are borne on the rusty pubescent growths of the season. The fruit, of which there are two varieties, the round and the oblong, is about the size of a hen's egg. It has a rough skin, the color of a russet apple, beneath which is a firm, somewhat stringy, sweet pulp, having the flavor of an apricot. This pulp is divided into 10 to 12 compartments, and contains from 4 to 6 large, flat, smooth, black seeds.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XX

Casimiroa edulis.

WHITE SAPOTA.