182 DR. B. SPRVCE ON [Carludovica. 



As this plant has always passed in Europe for the Carludovica 

 palmata of Euiz and Pavon (Syst. Veg. 291 ; Kunth, Etium. iii. 

 105), I supposed it already so well known, and so common in 

 herbaria, that I needed not include specimens in my sets ; and I 

 accordingly dried only a couple of leaves as objects of curiosity. 

 But on comparing my notes and specimens with the brief descrip- 

 tion given by Euiz and Pavon of their C, palmata and of its uses, 

 I see reason for considering it a c^uite distinct species from the 

 Toquilla. I will first sketch the leaves of the latter and the mode 

 of preparing the " straw," and then return to the true G. palmata, 



Caulxjbovica, sp. ^Boinbondje Peruvianorum ^Toqttilla -^(juatoria- 

 lium {S. hb. Palm. 83, folia in sylvis Andium Maynensium prope Ta- 



rapoto lecta). 

 Catidex nuUus. Folia plurima, radicalia, glaberrima ; petiolus tenuis 

 elongatus; lamina flabelliformis 4-partita; angulo basali cuj usque 

 laciniae 40° vel totiusfolii 160° j laciniis 21-pollicai-ibus, ah apice ultra 

 tertiam partem 10-fidis, lacinulis ergo totius f olii 40, 8 pollices longis, 

 late subulatis, venis primariis ph'cisque tot quot lacinulis. 



The leaves are folded in vernation exactly like a fan, each seg- 

 ment on its own medial vein or rib, so as to consist of eighty 

 layers. It is only these young unexpanded leaves that are used in 

 weaving hats. With a small two-pronged fork, or with two 

 needles stuck into the end of a stick, the whole eighty layers are 

 split up at once into 160 strips, leaving out the midribs, which 

 are then bent back and cut away, while the strips remain hanging 

 from the top of the petiole broom-fashion. They are next boiled 

 until they become white, and, having been carefully combed out 

 with the fingers, are hung in the sun to dry. They curl in at the 

 edges in drying, but do not twist in the least; so that from bemg 

 |th or ith of an inch in width when fresh, they are only -^o*^ 

 of an inch or less when dry, and are nearly terete, but get 

 flattened in weaving. For the finest hats, only a single narrow 

 strip is taken from the margin of each segment, leaving a great 

 breadth to be thrown away with the midribs ; such strips dry 

 to no more than :^^ or y^th of an inch broad. 



Now Euiz and Pavon describe their Carludovica palmata as 



*' de Jipijapa," " de la Punta de Santa Elena." The hats last named, usually 

 styled *' Sombreros de la Punta" or '*Punteno8," were in most request when I 

 was at 'Guayaquil m 1 860-3. 



