[Rattans.] Rattans grow in great abundance upon this Island.  They run like Honey-suckles either upon the Ground, or up Trees, as it happens, near Twenty fathom in length.  There is a kind of a shell or skin grows over the Rattan, and encloseth it round.  Which serves for a Case to cover and defend it, when tender.  This Skin is so full of prickles and thorns, that you cannot touch it.  As the Rattan growes longer and stronger, this Case growes ripe, and falls off prickles and shell and all.

[Its Fruit.] It bears fruit in clusters just like bunches of Grapes, and as big.  Every particular Berry is covered with a husk like a Gooseberry, which is soft, yellow and scaly, like the scales of a Fish, hansome to look upon.  This husk being cracked and broken, within grows a Plum of a whitish colour:  within the Plum a stone, having meat about it.  The people gather and boyl them to make sour pottage to quench the thirst.

[Canes.] Canes grow just like Rattans, and bear a fruit like them.  The difference onely is, that the Canes are larger.

[The Betel Tree.] The Tree that bears the Betel-leaf, which is so much loved and eaten in these parts, growes like Ivy, twining about Trees, or Poles, which they stick in the ground, for it to run up by:  and as the Betel growes, the Poles grow also.  The form of the Leaf is longish, the end somewhat sharp, broadest next to the stalk, of a bright green, very smooth, just like a Pepper leaf, onely different in the colour, the Pepper leaf being of a dark green.  It bears a fruit just like long Pepper, but not good for seed, for it falls off and rots upon the ground.  But when they are minded to propagate it, they plant the spriggs, which will grow.

[The Bo-gauhah, or God Tree.] I shall mention but one Tree more as famous and highly set by as any of the rest, if not more, tho it bear no fruit, the benefit consisting chiefly in the Holiness of it.  This Tree they call Bo-gauhah; we, the God-tree.  It is very great and spreading, the Leaves always shake like an Asp.  They have a very great veneration for these Trees, worshipping them; upon a Tradition, That the Buddou, a great God among them, when he was upon the Earth, did use to sit under this kind of Trees.  There are many of these Trees, which they plant all the Land over, and have more care of, than of any other.  They pave round under them like a Key, sweep often under them to keep them clean; they light Lamps, and set up their Images under them:  and a stone Table is placed under some of them to lay their Sacrifices on.  They set them every where in Towns and High wayes, where any convenient places are:  they serve also for shade to Travellers.  They will also set them in memorial of persons deceased, to wit, there, where their Bodies were burnt.  It is held meritorious to plant them, which, they say, he that does, shall dy within a short while after, and go to Heaven:  But the oldest men onely that are nearest death in the course of Nature, do plant them, and none else; the younger sort desiring to live a little longer in this World before they go to the other.