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The tree originated in West Africa and is said to have been
introduced into Jamaica by Captain Bligh (commander of H.M.S. Bounty) in
1778. It is now the national fruit of Jamaica. The tree reaches a height of
about thirty feet. The leaves are compound, comprising four or five pairs of
leaflets. The flowers are produced in axillary racemes and each blossom is small,
greenish white in colour with a pleasant fragrance. The fruits develop thick,
reddish-orange skins which enclose shiny, black seeds (three per fruit body). At the
base of the seeds is a fleshy, whitish-coloured structure called the aril. This is
the only edible part of the fruit. However, it can be cooked and eaten safely only
when ripe. Unripened arils, or those over-ripe, are poisonous and 'Jamaica
poisoning' is the term given to the condition resulting in death which is caused by eating
arils at the wrong stage of development. (39)
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