DISTEIBUTION OF THE MOEE PEOMINENT NATTTEAL OEDEES. 277 



A few words concerning the palms in other parts of America:— The south-eastern 

 States of North America are inhabited by three species of Sabal, by the monotypic 

 Rhapidophyllum ; and comparatively recently three species of Thrinax and Oreodoxa 

 regia have been found in South Florida. The northern limit of the palmettos (Sabal) 

 is North Carolina, and an apparently endemic species of Sabal is abundant in the 

 Bermudas. The palms of western North America are Washingtonia filifera, a mono- 

 type, in Southern California and Western Arizona, and two species of the genus 

 Erythea, also peculiar to the region— one inhabiting Guadalupe Island and the other 

 the Tantillas Mountains, Lower California. About forty palms are known to grow in 

 the West Indies*— the genera Thrinax, Bactris, and Sabal being especially numerous. 

 A not inconsiderable number of them are peculiar to Trinidad. Thus, one each of 

 Mauritia, Hyospathe, Jessenia, Geonoma, Manicaria, and Astrocaryum, and four of 

 Bactris, proving a connection with Guiana which does not extend to the other islands. 

 The palms of Brazil number 251 species, belonging to thirty-five genera, only two of 

 which are actually endemic. Drude, the monographer of the order, divides Martius's 

 region Naiades, or what, in this work, has been designated the Amazon region, into 

 four districts, namely: a littoral district, in which there are 79 species ; a central with 

 99, a north-western with 110, and south-western with 32 species. In the whole region 

 there are probably not less than 200 species ; and thirty-three out of the thirty-five 

 genera occur in this region. Of course these figures mean much more in an order like 

 the Palmse than in such an order as the Composite for example ; and the number of 

 species of palms within our limits is no guide to the relative proportion in the compo- 

 sition of the vegetation on account of the smallness of most of the Mexican species. 

 The characteristic Mexican Chamcedorea is represented in Brazil by two species. 



Cyclanthacece. 

 Four genera and about thirty-five species of this peculiarly American order are 

 recorded ; but, like Palms, they have been little collected, and much, doubtless, remains 

 to be done before we shall get an approximate idea of the numbers actually existing. 

 They appear to be generally spread in eastern tropical America and the West Indies; 

 and two or three are found in Venezuela, Guiana, and Peru. The number within the 

 southern part of our area is probably greater than that enumerated by us, including 

 those species contained in the Supplement. In floral structure the Cyclanthaceee are very 

 near the Aroideae and the Old-World Pandanese, from which, however, they are readily 

 distinguished by their habit and foliage. 



Aroidew. 

 The Aroidese are generally diffused, except in the coldest regions, attaining their 

 maximum development, however, in the tropics, and by far most numerous in tropical 



* Drude, Peterm. Mitth. 1878, p. 99. 



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