282 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
existed in the forest, would have attracted the attention of the 
explorer. 
Ferdinand Columbus states that his father found ‘‘palm trees of 
several sorts,” and mentions on a previous occasion that some had 
“the trunk green and smooth,’ which may refer to the Cuban royal 
palm (Roystonea regia).? This could have no connection with the 
large nuts, for the mature fruits are only about the size of a small 
cherry. 
One of Peter Martyr's passages relating to ‘‘dates” evidently has 
reference to the same incident of exploration of the north coast of 
Cuba by Columbus: 
And when they had at the lengthe escaped these strayghtes, and were nowe coome 
into a mayne and large sea, and had sayled theron for the space of foure score myles, 
they espyed an other excedinge hygh mountayne, whyther the Admirall resorted 
to store his shyppes with fresshe water and fuel. Heare amonge certeyne wooddes 
of date trees, and pyneable trees of excedyng height he fownd two natiue sprynges 
of fresshe water.? 
The fantastic idea of tall ‘‘pyneable trees” arose from the failure 
of Europeans not familiar with America to distinguish between pine 
trees and pineapples. True pine trees were found in abundance in 
Cuba and Santo Domingo, as well as in Central America. Huropean 
readers who progressed far enough to learn that pineapples had no 
relation to pine trees often went to the other extreme of supposing 
that all the early references to pines related to pineapples. Pine 
trees are mentioned in the Journal of Columbus in the same district 
with the ‘‘very tall palms” and the large ‘“‘nuts of India.’’ 
If the statement of the Journal of Columbus stood alone we might 
well hesitate to base any general conclusion upon it, but there is 
certainly no reason to deny it a place among the many other statements 
that can be reasonably interpreted only by recognizing their relation 
to the coconut. As soon as we appreciate the fact that the Spaniards 
were not acquainted with the coconut, either in nature or in name, 
before their arrival in America, it becomes apparent that the state- 
ment of Columbus is as direct a piece of evidence as we could hope 
to get, under the existing circumstances. It is not unreasonable to 
believe that he knew something of the Indian nut, and of the palms 
that produced it, considering that he spent many years of his life in 
the active quest of geographical knowledge, with especial reference 
to the Indies, which he hoped to reach by sailing west. The most 
remarkable thing about this statement of Columbus is that it should 
have been so completely overlooked by De Candolle and other 
writers interested in the history of the coconut palm. Even Picker- 
ing failed to include it in his immense collection of similar facts, 
aChurchill’s Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. 2, pp. 534, 535. (London, 
1732.) 
bMartire, in Arber, op. cit., p. 77. (See footnote ¢, p. 276.) 
ce 
