Durian, or DURION

Durian, or DURION (Durio zibethinus), an Indian and Malayan fruit-tree of Malvaceous affinities, usually reckoned in the sub-order Bombacææ. It is a lofty tree, with leaves resembling those of the cherry, and large bunches of pale-yellow flowers. The fruit is of the size of a man's head, roundish oblong, with a hard thick rind, covered with soft spines. The pulp is of a creamy consistency and delicious taste, but has a putrid smell which is at first very repulsive. Persons accustomed to it, however, universally regard the durian as one of the very finest fruits of the East. It contains ten or twelve seeds, as large as pigeons' eggs, which, when roasted, are not inferior to chestnuts. One tree yields about 200 durians in a year.