294 



MB. D. MOIiBIS OS THE PRODUCTION 



In the others a regular dichotomous branching may be traced. 

 The highest number of branches recorded is seven. At Calcutta 

 a branched cocoanut, since blown down, was held in great vene- 

 ration and offerings of flowers, fruit, and rice were scattered 

 around its roots by the Hindoos. In Fiji a forked stem of a 



Fig. 7. 



£.„- J 



' S 



Longitudinal section through stem of branched Cocoanut Palm, Cocos nu- 

 cifera, Fiji (Kew Museum;, a. Position of destroyed terminal bud. 

 b, b. Axillary branches. 



cocoanut palm (now in the Kew Museum) was called "JSm 

 nibsanga by the natives, who attached superstitious ideas to 

 the occurrence." The following instances of branched cocoanut 

 palms have been noticed : 



Seychelles (North Gallery, No. 491), [6]; Dornock Pen, 



(H, 



V 



75 



(see fi 



g- 



6); Chapelton, Jamaica {Schardsmidt), drawing, [2]; 



Mus. ii., [2] (see fig. 7) 



(JB 



Kew Mus. ii., [2]; Travancore {Andy), Trans. Linn. Soc. xxvi. 



P 



Mount Lavinia, Cevlon {Haldane) 



[2] ; Kuripan, Java {Otto Kuntze), ' Urn die Erde,' p. 288, [2] j 

 Jabalpur (Kabraji), cited in Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. ni. 

 p. 250, [7]; Calcutta (Scott), Gard. Chron.i. (1874) pp. 116-118, 



