10 AMBOINESE HERBAL Book II. Chap. II.

Cloves would be heavier if they were sold [wet]; however, if they say this of the Indian merchants or the natives who sell them, they do them a great injustice. For it was stated above that when the cloves are delivered—whether by the inhabitants to the merchants, or by the merchants to the sailors—they must be so dry that they can be broken off with a fingernail. Furthermore, both parties are well aware that a capital penalty would await those who would attempt such frauds. Yet, I do not wish to deny that cloves, both in warehouses and especially on ships, attract every bit of moisture near them, and for this reason they always swell on ships, so that they can never be delivered as dry as they were when received. Whether this art is better known to European grocers original: Aromatariis Europæis; Dutch: Kruideniers (who do not sell them in such great quantities as are stored in the warehouses), they themselves well know.

These are the things I have been able to discover or find concerning the qualities of the whole tree and its fruits, and thus I shall end this description with the following little verse:

The aforementioned clove tree said to grow on the large island of Madagascar is described by O. Dapper Olfert Dapper (1636–1689), a Dutch physician and writer famous for his geographical descriptions despite never leaving Europe in the following manner: Ravenfara (he says) is a huge and tall tree like a Laurel, with leaves similar to it but smaller. The fruit, called Voarvenfara, is like a walnut; the taste of both the bark and the inner substance is similar to the Clove, and the leaves have the same taste. The flowers have the form of a clove, as do their taste, smell, and potency. The tree gives no fruit except every third year; when the inhabitants desire these fruits and leaves, which they boil with ginger and other fish, they do not climb the tree itself, but cut it down at the root. It grows in high mountains, and both male and female versions are found.

CHAPTER THREE.

Royal Clove. Tsjenke Papua, or Radja.

Formerly in Ternate, a wonderful and rare variety of Clove was found, which nevertheless did not constitute a separate species, since there was only one such tree in the world that produced similar Cloves; for according to Philosophy, a single individual does not constitute a species original: nullum individuum constituat speciem — a reference to the Scholastic principle that a species is defined by shared characteristics, not by a unique outlier. And these were called Royal Cloves, as it was believed that a specific tree appeared with each King of Ternate and died with him. However, it has been found that this does not follow a certain period; for the tree that was consecrated to King Hamza in his time still produced fruit in the year 1655, when Mandarsjah had already reigned for seven years. The Kings always preserved this tree religiously, using the Cloves primarily for their own purposes and sending them to their friends as something special. It was found only on the island of Makian, and since two different fruits were seen on two different trees, it can be divided into Hamza’s and Mandarsjah’s tree. Both, however, were similar in trunk and leaves to the common Clove tree, and if they bore no fruit, they were indistinguishable from it. Hamza’s tree bore Cloves much smaller than the common ones, not broad at the top but pointed, and having on the sides one or two raised tips, almost like the ends of juniper leaves, but of a blacker color than the common ones. This tree died in that year, and then another began to grow again, with three...

...three [tips]. If they say this of the merchants in India, or of the natives who deliver them, they do them a great injustice: For it was said above that cloves at delivery, both from the natives to the merchants and from the merchants to the sailors, must be so dry that one can snap them off. Also, both know well that it would be a punishable act for those who would dare such a thing. I do not wish to deny, however, that cloves, in the warehouses as well as especially in the ships, pull all moisture that is around them into themselves, and therefore always expand in the ships, so that they can never be delivered as dry as they were received: but whether this art is not better known to the grocers in Europe (who do not trade them by entire warehouses full), that they may know themselves.

This is what we have been able to learn and experience until now regarding the entire situation of this proposed tree and its fruit, and shall therefore end and close this description with the following little rhyme or verse:

The aforementioned clove tree, which is said to grow on the large island of Madagascar, is described by O. Dapper as follows: Ravenfara (he says) is a large and tall tree, like a Laurel, with leaves that are like the Laurel, though smaller: the fruit, called Voarvenfara, is like a green walnut, in taste—both the bark and the interior—like the clove, and the leaves are of the same taste: the blossom has the appearance of a clove, as well as the taste, smell, and power. The tree gets no fruit except every third year, when the inhabitants want these fruits and leaves, which they cook with ginger and garlic with fish; they do not climb up the tree, but hack it off at the root: it grows on high mountains, where there is a male and a female.

III. CHAPTER.

King’s Clove Tree. Tsjenke Papua, or Radja.

Previously in Ternate, people had a wonderful and rare sort of clove tree, which however did not make a particular genus, because there was no more than a single tree in the world that bore such cloves, and that according to the rule of the Naturalists, Nullum individuum constituit speciem, no indivisible thing can make a genus on its own: and the aforementioned cloves were called King’s Cloves, since it was believed that with every Ternatean King a particular tree also appeared, and also went out again with the same: which however was not always found to be certain, for the tree that was assigned to King Hamza in his time still bore fruit in the year 1655, when Mandarsjah had already reigned for seven years. The Kings have always kept this tree very carefully, kept the cloves mostly for themselves, and sent them to their friends as rarities: it was only found on the island of Makian, and because two types of fruit were seen on two different trees, it can be divided into Hamza’s and Mandarsjah’s tree: both were similar in trunk and leaves to the common clove trees, and, when they bore no fruit, were indistinguishable from them: Hamza’s tree bore cloves that were much smaller than the common ones, not broad at the top, but pointed, and having on the sides one or two points turned upwards, almost...