Chap. 12 (6.) β The Pala: The Fruit Called Ariena
There is another tree456 in India, of still larger size, and even more remarkable for the size and sweetness of its fruit, upon which the sages457 of India live. The leaf of this tree resembles, in shape, the wing of a bird, being three cubits in length, and two in breadth. It puts forth its fruit from the bark, a fruit remarkable for the sweetness of its juice, a single one containing sufficient to satisfy four persons. The name of this tree is βpala,β and of the fruit, βariena.β They are found in the greatest abundance in the country of the Sydraci,458 a territory which forms the extreme limit of the expedition of Alexander.
There is another459 tree, also, very similar to this, but bearing a still sweeter fruit, though very apt to cause derangement of the bowels. Alexander issued strict orders, forbidding anyone in the expedition to touch this fruit.