232 DR. KIRK OK THE PALMS OF EAST TROPICAL AFRICA, 



with 



The dense clusters of male and 



female flowers hang down from the base of the leaves, in part con- 

 cealed among them. 



The fronds are long and pinnate, the lower pinnules heing 

 spinous and seated on a swelling where they join the rachis. 

 A close comparison of male and female spadices from which the 

 flowers had fallen, shows no difference between this and Elms 

 guineensis. The fruits brought from Nyasf^a are small; but 

 some of the Oil Palms of the west yield very diminutive nuts also, 

 while the specimens of Dr. Murie from Gondokoro are larger. 



As yet the Mcois is known from the lake-regions on the east- 

 ern side of Africa, and not from the sea-coast. Its geographical 

 limits seem to be 3° N. lat. and 12^ S. 



3. BoRASsus FLARELLiroR:M:is, Linn. 



The older authors, as Linnseus, Schumacher, and Thoiuiing, re- 

 garded the Indian and African Borassics as one species. Martins, 

 who had no means personally of making observations, separated 

 that of Africa under the name of fi, JEthiopitm^ in consideration 

 of having fewer flowers in each catkin of the spadix, of its swollen 

 stem, and, above all, its geographical position. 



In the first of these he is mistaken ; the African JBorassns pos- 

 sesses as many flowers as the Indian. Thonning, whom he quotes, 

 may have examined a spadix from w^hich some of the flowers had 

 fallen. The swelling of the stem is seen in many palms, and is 

 a character of uncertain meaning : if constantly present, it would 

 be of importance ; but in BorasstiSy although usual, it is far from 

 universal. 



As to geographical position, this must be excluded, so many 

 African trees are now found in Asia. The Tamarind is an instance 

 of an African forest-tree having been taken to India ; and, for all 

 we know, the Pan-Palm may have migrated also. 



B , Jlabelliformis is widely diff'used over tropical Africa. H ^^ 

 the Deleb of Nubia, and its swollen trunk may have suggested to 

 the old Egyptians the bulged shaft of the columns. It is found 

 in Senegal. Vasco da Gama saw it at Mozambique, and Loureu'O 

 noticed it at Melinda. On the Zambesi it is very common in tbe 

 flat alluvial lands ; but from the upper parts it is absent, until 

 we ascend to the junction of the Loeti and Leambai, in lat. 1^^ ^ 

 the centre of the continent. On the Nyassa Lake it is seen, and 

 is common on the Lower Shire and Eovuma. 



Wherever it occurs, whether singly in a forest or as a monotonous 

 plantation covering miles of flat land to the exclusion of other 



