Book II. Chapter IV. AMBOINESE HERBAL.

...inside referring to the fruit described at the end of the previous page lies an oblong seed, much like the true clove, but significantly larger and marked with a curved line, divisible into two segments.

When these cloves are dried, they do not take on a brown or dark red color like the true ones, but instead acquire a dingy, pale yellow color and become wrinkled. They possess no aromatic strength or spice-like quality; rather, their taste is unpleasant, wild, and astringent.

The wood of this tree is hard, dense, heavy, and grayer than the cultivated variety, mixed with a certain brownish hue. While it is not particularly beautiful, it is nonetheless useful for various mechanical purposes. However, it must not touch the ground, otherwise it rots very easily. The fruits flower and ripen at nearly the same time as the cultivated cloves, or a little later—namely in December or January. This tree grows spontaneously in the wild mountains and propagates itself there by its fallen mother-cloves original: "Anthophyllis"; these are cloves left on the tree to over-ripen into seeds for planting.

Names. In Latin, Caryophyllum Silvestre Wild Clove; in Malay, Tsjenke utan. In the Amboinese language, Babu Lawan Abbal and Bubula Wabbal. By the people of Hitoe, it is called Ohulawan Aycou, because this tree, as has been said, has a great affinity with the Cajoe Mera Malay: "Red Wood" or Aycou, of which more will be said in Book 4.

Location. It is found in all the Molucca Islands, even in places where true cloves have never been observed. A certain man from Hitoe told me that he had planted a true clove tree there which, over time, degenerated into a wild one. I experienced the same thing myself with another tree, which I was certain had been placed there during a general planting of true cloves.

Use. Since there is no aromatic strength in this fruit, it is neither collected nor used for trade, but is left as food for the birds. It also rarely happens that certain cunning inhabitants deceive new merchants by mixing these wild cloves with the true ones during sale to increase the weight. This is easy for them to do since they ripen at roughly the same time, but if they are caught, they are punished. Anyone who pays close attention can easily distinguish the wild ones, as they are much larger than true cloves, as well as pale and dingy in color. As we mentioned, those that fall naturally from the true trees and are dried in the sun without being smoked look similar; however, the wild cloves are still significantly larger and entirely tasteless.

The wood of this tree, as mentioned, is used in house building for both posts and beams. It is not as suitable for posts because it rots easily in the earth; otherwise, it becomes as hard as iron—so hard that a nail can hardly be driven into it—especially in the houses of the Amboinese, which are usually filled with smoke. Although the wood becomes so hard and durable, square beams can hardly be fashioned from it because the trunk is rarely round, but rather angular and misshapen.

Among the wild cloves, another smaller tree is also counted, which mostly grows only to the size of a shrub. However, it differs too much from the nature of cloves, and we shall describe it later among the wild trees under the name Caryophyllaster Silvestre Wild Clove-like plant in Book 5.

If one wishes to use the wild clove wood for fence posts, as is often done, it must first be exposed to smoke, as it then lasts longer. It is also used for the handles of axes and for rice pestles. However, the polished wood should not be exposed to the sun, as it cracks easily. In short, the fresh wood is never used for works where cracking would be a problem, but always the dried wood.

EXPLANATION

Which shows a branch of the wild clove tree, called TSJENKE OETAN by the inhabitants.
a Denotes the natural size and shape of the fruit.

OBSERVATION.

This wild tree seems to be named by Plukenet in Almagestum Botanicum page 88 as CARYOPHYLLUS with a fading aromatic strength, Malabaric, with larger leaf and fruit, and is depicted in his Phytographia Plate 274. It is also described by Valentijn in his Description of Amboina page 169 under the name of the wild clove tree, as well as in Valentijn's Musæum Musæorum letter 23, page 449.