Fruits of the Hawaiian IslandsWilder, Gerrit Parmile
Science
Fruits of the Hawaiian Islands
Wilder, Gerrit Parmile
Fruit-culture -- Hawaii
The name was derived from the word punicus, of Carthage, near which city
it is said to have been discovered; hence malumpunicum, Apple of
Carthage, which was the early name of the Pomegranate. It is a native of
Northern Africa, and of Southwestern Asia, and is grown in the Himalayas
up to an elevation of 6000 feet. It is a deciduous shrub, which by
careful training can be made to grow into a tree from 10 to 15 feet
high. Many shoots spring from the base of the tree, and should be cut
away, as they draw the sap which should go to the fruit-bearing stems.
The branches are slender, twiggy, nearly cylindrical, and somewhat
thorny. The bark contains about 32 per cent. tannin, and is used for
dying the yellow Morocco leather. The peel of the fruit serves also as a
dye. There are several varieties of Pomegranate growing in Hawaii: the
double-flowering variety is popular as an ornamental plant. All of the
varieties are of easy culture, and are readily propagated by means of
cuttings of the ripe wood. The leaves are lanceolate, glabrous, and a
glossy-green with red veins. The flowers are axillary, solitary or in
small clusters, and in color are a very showy rich orange-red. The fruit
is about the size of an ordinary orange, has a persistent calyx, and is
made up of many small compartments arranged in two series, one above the
other. The crisp, sweet, watery pink pulp enveloping each seed is the
edible portion of the Pomegranate.
[Illustration: PLATE IV.--_Pomegranate._
One half natural size.]
_G. P. W. Collection._ PLATE V
_Ficus Carica_ (common variety).
FIG.
The Fig is the most ancient, as well as one of the most valuable of all
fruit trees. Its name is nearly the same in all European languages. The
tree is supposed to be a native of Caria in Asia Minor. The intelligent
cultivators of Anatolia, by whom the Smyrna Figs are produced, adhere to
the caprification process, used from time immemorial. In California,
efforts have been made to test this process. In the Hawaiian Islands,
the Portuguese seem to be the most successful cultivators of the Fig,
and several varieties are to be found throughout the group. This common
variety grows to a height of from 10 to 20 feet, is hardy, and can
easily be propagated from cuttings. Its leaves are alternate, 3 to 5
deeply lobed, and are shed during the fall months, at which season
careful pruning will increase the following year's yield. The fruit is
single, appearing from the axils of the leaves, on the new wood. It is a
hollow, pear-shaped receptacle, containing many minute seeds, scattered
throughout a soft, pinkish-white pulp.
[Illustration: PLATE V.--_Fig._
One half natural size.]
_G. P. W. Collection._ PLATE VI
_Ficus Carica._
FIG.
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