Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume 2 (of 2): A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present dayLanaghan, Mrs.
History
Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume 2 (of 2): A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day
Lanaghan, Mrs.
Antigua -- Description and travel; Antigua -- History
Perhaps the most beautiful and fragrant flower which grows in
Antigua is the _frangepanier,_ or _plumeria_. It rises to the
height of from ten to fifteen feet, with a rough, greyish trunk,
from whence start numerous fantastic-shaped branches, convolving
and wreathing their long, naked arms on all sides. From the end
of these branches start large, oblong leaves, standing upon
three-inch footstalks, and forming a beautiful cluster. These
leaves are deciduous, and as they fall off, are succeeded by
bunches of flowers, which grow in umbels, rising from one centre
stem, of about three or four inches in length. These flowers are
of the most delicate pink, shaded off to white, and of a velvety
surface, the lower part of the petals being yellow. They are
divided into five or six segments, and the scent of them is so
delicious, that it ravishes the senses while inhaling its odour.
All parts of this tree abounds in a milky, acrid juice, which
drops freely upon breaking off the least part, or making the
slightest incision.
Guava Tree, _psidium pomiferum,_ order monogynia, class
icosandria, rises in the manner of a shrub, to the height of from
two to twelve feet. The leaves are ovate, and of a dusky green;
the flowers consist of five segments, produced in a circular
form, with numerous stamens surrounding an ovary of an oblong
form. This becomes a fleshy fruit, of the shape and colour of a
lemon, surmounted by a crest of small leaves. The interior of the
fruit is of a rose-colour, or a pure white, containing numerous
small, yellow seeds; the flavour is exquisite, and the jelly made
from it surpasses the whole world of confectionary. The
celebrated Sir Hans Sloane is said to have been particularly fond
of it; indeed, it is a universal favourite, and cattle and birds
greedily eat the fruit in its crude form.
Bamboo, _bambusa arundinacea,_ belongs to the order monogynia,
class hexandria. It rises to a great height, sometimes fifty or
sixty feet. The young stalks are almost solid, and are filled
with a sweetish kind of liquid, which, as they progress in age
and become hollow, falls to the bottom of the joint, where it is
stopped by a woody membrane, and concretes into a kind of sugar,
called _tabaxir_. This tabaxir is said to possess strong
medicinal qualities, and was held in such esteem by the ancients,
that it was often sold for its weight in silver. The bamboo is
used in Antigua for spouts, fish-pots, or as posts for fences: it
forms a pretty screen, and as the wind wantons through its
lanceolated leaves, a pleasing melody ensues.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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