DR. KIEK ON THE PALMS OF EAST TROPICAL APRICA. 233 



trees, it is always a marked feature in tlie landscape. It is the 

 largest of East African palms. On the Zambesi it attains a height 

 of 80 feet, but is more commonly under that ; such a tree at 5 

 feet above the ground has a girth of 5 ft. 11 in. 



The ventricosity on the stem most commonly takes place from 

 35 to 10 feet up ; although frequent, it is not a constant character ; 

 it seems to mark the first flowering of the plant. In another 

 African palm, viz. a new species of lTyph<jene^ the same pheno- 

 menon is seen in the islands above the Victoria Falls. 



The thickest part of each Borassus is at the ground ; it quickly 

 diminishes in the first five feet as we ascend, reaching the mini- 

 mum girth at 20 feet, above which it again thickens towards the 

 ventricosity. 



The following are measurements of a palm in which the swelling 

 had fully formed : 



groun 



feet. in. 



40 



5J » 



to centre of ventricosity . 35 



Circumference at the ground 7 5 



5, 3 feet above the ground .... 5 8 



3 7 



4 4 



..... 3 6 



7> ^^ j> ?> 



M ^0 „ J, 



The wood of the Borassus is hard outside, soft and pithy within ; 

 'when kept dry it is durable and resists well the attacks of Ter- 

 mites. The frond when split up is sometimes platted and made 

 into hats, but it is brittle ; for cordage it is wholly unsuited, the 

 various Hypha^nes being employed. 



By negroes and elephants the fibrous outer coat of the fruit is 

 sucked: it has an agreeable smell, fine orange-colour, but a 

 mawkish, insipid taste. The gelatinous interior of the albumen 

 is eaten, and the young shoot cooked as a vegetable and esteemed 

 both by natives and Portuguese. Palm-wine is got from this, as 

 from others, by cutting the fronds and daily taking off" a thin slice 

 from the end of the bud, keeping it the while shaded from the sun. 



4. PnCEXIX DACTYLTFERA. 



This palm is not native of the country, nor can it be said to bo 

 introduced. At Mozambique there are examples. On the Zambesi 



itary 



about 20 feet high, entwined wath a climbing fi 



S- 



The 



t. It is 

 growing 



MNK. PBOC. — BOTANY, TOL. IX. R 



