Part 6

"WI."

This deciduous tree is said to be a native of the Society Islands, and is common to the tropics of both hemispheres. It is a large, spreading and graceful tree, reaching a height of from 30 to 50 feet. Its pinnate leaves are green and glossy; the leaflets are oval-oblong and opposite. The foliage is shed from December until April. The flowers are paniculate, small, and greenish-white. The fruit, which ripens from November until April, is a fleshy drupe, oval in shape, from 1 to 3 inches in diameter; it has a thin, smooth, golden-yellow skin, which has a rather sour disagreeable odor. The fleshy pulp is light yellow, is mellow when quite ripe, and has a sub-acid delicious flavor, compared by some to the pineapple. Within this pulp is embedded a 1 to 5 loculed, bony endocarp, which contains generally one seed. This endocarp is covered with fibres which penetrate the pulp. The first Wi tree in Hawaii was planted at the residence of Mr. John S. Walker, Nuuanu Valley.

One third natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XXVII

Spondias lutea.

HOG PLUM.

This tree is distributed over Tropical America, West Africa and Java, where it is commonly called the Hog Plum, and is used for fattening swine. In Jamaica it grows well, up to an elevation of 4000 feet. It is a large, graceful tree, about 50 feet high, with spreading branches, and it is particularly beautiful when in fruit. The pinnate leaves are a clear green, the leaflets are ovate-lanceolate, and the golden-yellow fruit hangs in clusters. It ripens in September and October. The fruit is ovoid, about 1 inch long; it has a smooth skin, having a disagreeable odor. There is one large seed, which resembles the husk of a ground-nut. This fruit is cooling and aromatic. To my knowledge there are but two trees of this kind in bearing in the Hawaiian Islands, and these are growing in private grounds in Honolulu.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XXVIII

Mammea Americana.

MAMMEE APPLE.

The Mammee Apple, which grows well in Hawaii, is a native of the West Indies, and is a fruit much esteemed in tropical countries. In Jamaica it thrives well, up to an elevation of 3000 feet. The tree attains a height of from 30 to 40 feet, and the wood, which is beautifully grained, is durable and well adapted to building purposes. Its leaves are rigid and leathery. The round seeds, varying in number from 1 to 4, germinate freely, and the young plants are easily raised. The fruit is from 3 to 6 inches in diameter, is brown or russet color, and has a yellow pulp, which is sweet and aromatic. The outer rind, as well as the pulp immediately surrounding the seeds, is very bitter. The fruit may be eaten raw, and is very delicious when preserved.

One fourth natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XXIX

Tamarindus indica.

TAMARIND.

The name is derived from Tamar, Arabic for Date, and Indus, Indian; thus literally meaning Indian Date. It is a native of the Indies, Egypt and Arabia. The tree is never leafless, and the foliage is graceful, pinnated and acacia like. It bears one crop a year, the season varying somewhat according to the location and elevation. It yields a handsome, hard and close-grained furniture wood, which is yellowish-white, with occasional red streaks in it; the heart-wood is dark brownish-purple. The pods are thick, linear, dark brown in color, and from 3 to 6 inches long. The seeds vary in number. The pulp surrounding the seeds has a pleasant acid flavor, and when made into syrup, forms the basis of a delicious, cooling beverage. This pulp is called the fruit, while the pod is spoken of as the shell. The Tamarind is propagated from both seeds and cuttings, and is undoubtedly one of the noblest of our tropical trees.

One half natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XXX

Durio zibethinus.

DURION.

This fine tree attains a height of from 60 to 80 feet; it derives its name from the Malay word "dury," a thorn, in reference to the prickly covering of the fruit. The leaves, which are a light, glossy green on the upper surface, are alternate, entire, elliptical and acute. The yellowish-white flowers are large. The fruit, which is either globular or oval, sometimes measures 10 inches in length. It has a hard rind, covered with thorny warts or spines, and externally looks not unlike a breadfruit. When ripe, it is brownish-yellow, and, when opened at its lower end, shows five longitudinal sections or cells, each containing from 1 to 4 seeds about the size of a pigeon's egg. The edible pulp surrounding the seeds is firm and cream-colored. The Durion is remarkable for its combination of an absolutely delicious flavor and an abominably offensive odor. To my knowledge there is but one tree in bearing in the Hawaiian Islands, and that is growing in private grounds at Lihue, Kauai.

One third natural size.]

G. P. W. Collection. PLATE XXXI

Coffea arabica.

ARABIAN COFFEE.

The Coffee-tree is said to be a native of Abyssinia. Two species, the Arabian and the Liberian, are now cultivated throughout the tropics. The use of coffee was known in Arabia long before it was introduced to Europeans in the sixteenth century. The Dutch were the first to introduce the plant to Europe. The Arabian Coffee-tree is low-growing, and bears one crop annually; its leaves are elliptico-oblong, acuminate, generally from 3 to 6 inches long, and are thin and shiny. The white flowers appear in clusters, and are very fragrant. The berries are ovoid, fleshy, and bright red. In this berry are found the two seeds, which constitute the coffee of commerce. The Coffee-tree was introduced into Hawaii about 1823, by a Frenchman, who established a small plantation in Manoa Valley, Oahu. The tree is now well naturalized in the woods of Kona, Hawaii, and elsewhere in the Islands, and flourishes up to an elevation of from 1000 to 2000 feet.

One half natural size.]