Palms of Puerto Rico 549 



The so-called Hume palm is a most striking ornament of the 

 rugged limestone hills from Vega Baja to Manati and Arecibo. 

 At a sufficient distance the slender trunk is no longer visible 

 and the crown of leaves appears as if suspended in mid-air, while 

 at closer range it does not seem possible that so slender a shaft 

 can maintain itself. This very slenderness with the attending flexi- 

 bility is however, an element of strength since it permits the trees 

 to bend before the wind while the leaves diminish the resistance 

 by straightening out as in the cocoanut. The hurricane of Au- 

 gust, 1899, seemed to have done little damage to these tallest of 

 Puerto Rico palms, many of which project for more than half 

 their height above everything standing about them. As the trees 

 of the rather sparse forest growth of these hills are commonly 

 from 12 to 18 metres tall, the Hume palms must often attain up- 

 wards of 30 metres. 



Areca Catechu Linn. Sp. PI. 11 89. 1753 



In the western end of the island the betel palm of the Malay 

 region has been sparingly introduced, though the fact does not 

 seem to have been reported hitherto. A few were seen in gardens 

 about Mayaguez and others in and near San Sebastian. So far 

 as we were able to learn, the people do not know the name or na- 

 ture of this introduced species which is apparently planted only as 

 an ornament or a curiosity. The form is not unpleasing, but the 

 extremely deep, sombre green of the foliage seems almost unnat- 

 ural and imparts a suggestion of artificiality. 



Only photographs and fruits of Areca were secured at San 

 Sebastian, but Puerto Rico specimens collected by Sintenis (no 

 5749) at Aguadilla have already been distributed from the Berlin 

 Botanical Garden with the label " Palma Spec. Subtrib. Attaleae." 



ROYSTONEA Cook, Science, II. 12 : 479. 1900 



Orcodoxa Martius and more recent authors, not Willdenow. 



The history of the generic name Oreodoxa shows that botanical 

 writers of the last few decades have been in error in removing the 

 two original species and applying it to another series of similar but 

 not closely related forms. To avoid further confusion with refer- 

 ence to a name which by reason of the conspicuous character of 



