54 CUBA AND PORTO KICO 



peculiar to the island. This majestic tree consists of a tall, 

 spindle-shaped trunk of fibrous wood, supporting a cluster 

 of pinnate leaves. It is a marvel of beauty and utility, 

 and is the most common of all trees in Cuba. It is met 

 with almost everywhere; in the center of broad pasture- 

 lands it often stands alone, tall and straight, while border- 

 ing the cultivated fields of the rich planter it forms shady 

 avenues to his dwelling. Again, its seed finds root amid 

 the gloom of the forest, sending the tall shaft high up to 

 find room for its fairy-like cluster of plumes in the free air 

 above. On the plains it often forms delicious groves of 

 shade, and on the distant mountain it may be seen rearing 

 its plumed crest against the sky, while in the valley below 

 its dark leaves murmur softly in cadence with the winding 

 river over which they sway. 



This palm has been called the blessed tree, for every part 

 of it has its usefulness to mankind. Certain medicinal 

 qualities are claimed for its roots, and its trunk is easily 

 split into strips, making excellent boards for the siding of 

 houses, benches, and even tables. As the trunk is without 

 any bark, and its center is very porous, increasing in density 

 toward the outer surface, which is nearly as hard as glass, 

 it is only the outside shell which furnishes these boards. 

 From this hard, fibrous wood canes are made, which take a 

 most beautiful polish. The leaves of the palm grow from 

 the center of the trunk, first in the form of a delicate spire 

 shooting up, which, gradually unfolding itself, forms a new 

 leaf. These leaves continue to grow from the central spire 

 to a great length, forming the cluster which, in the case of 

 the royal palm, resembles so much a bunch of enormous 

 plumes. The leaves, when they cannot grow any more, 

 drop to the ground from the bottom of the cluster, thus 

 making room for the new ones which are always coming 

 out of the center. The bud or root of the central spire, 

 from which the leaves grow, consists of a tender substance 

 buried deep down within the cluster of green leaves, and 

 forms a very palatable food, either in the raw state, or 

 cooked as a vegetable, or made into a preserve with sugar- 



