Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/93

Rh trees of the island. Among these I must introduce to you the Ceiba tree, one of the loftiest and most lovely trees of Cuba. It shoots aloft, a strong and softly undulating stem, to a height exceeding that of the palm, and without any branches until, all at once, it spreads out in a horizontal direction three or four arms, sinuous like those of the oak, but less abrupt; these subdivide themselves into lesser branches, and bear aloft the most beautiful crown of palmated rich-green leaves. It is one of the most lovely trees I ever saw, and I know nothing to which I can compare it. But this beautiful tree has its grudging enemy, and upon the small thorn-like excrescences with which its stem is covered, a parasite is apt to fix itself, which by degrees embraces, and finally kills the tree. I observed also the beautiful dark-green trees, Mamay Colorado, and Mamay Santa Domingo, now covered with fruit, grey-brown outside, and within filled with a reddish-yellow flesh, very sweet, but to my taste insipid; and the Sapota tree, also with dark-green leaves and brown fruit, about the size of small oranges, and like these consisting of juicy segments, very sweet, and extremely agreeable to my taste. The Mango tree has a thick, leafy head, which reminds me, both in form and compactness, of our chesnut tree. The mango fruit is yet green, and hangs in long racemes, several upon a stalk, like colossal almonds in form. They are said to be of a beautiful golden yellow when ripe; they are called the apples of Cuba, and are much liked on the island. The mango tree affords a thick, impenetrable shadow; the Tamarind tree, on the other hand, spreads out above your head like a fine, transparent, embroidered green veil, through which you see the blue sky. It bears pods with small beans in them, which have an acid but very agreeable and fresh flavour.

The gourd, or Calabash tree—(N.B. I tell you the names of the trees as I hear them called here, for I have