CLASSES OF PLANTS 437 



5. Banana family. This is another family of plants that can 

 supply nearly all the needs of the natives who depend upon it. 

 The pulp of the fruit is prepared in a great variety of ways ; it 

 is dried and made into flour ; it is mashed and fermented into 

 drink ; and it may be cooked, although most of us know it only 

 in the raw. The bast of the leaves furnishes fiber that is put to 

 many uses. The bast of manila-hemp leaves yields two grades 

 of fibers, used for ropes, mats, bagging, sailcloth, binder for 

 staff (a plaster-of-Paris mixture used for architectural models, 

 and especially for the walls of temporary buildings), and as 

 stock for coarse papers. 



6. Orchid family. Most of us know of this family only from 

 the curious specimens occasionally exhibited in the windows of 

 flower shops, or from reading about the strange forms in the 

 tropical forests. Many orchids are cultivated commercially for 

 their beauty. The vanilla (see pages 50, 51) is used for flavor- 

 ing material, but it is being replaced by synthetic substitutes. 



324. Lower dicotyledons. Over 60,000 species of plants are 

 known in this division, classified in about 180 families. All our 

 important timber trees outside the pine family belong here. 

 Every group furnishes many species that are of no known value, 

 as well as many weeds and plants that furnish food and shelter 

 for birds and other animals. Only the more important families 

 will be considered. 



1. Willow family. Thin twigs of many species of willow 

 furnish the osiers, or rods, used in making wickerwork (see 

 Fig. 190). The finest artist's charcoal is made of willow. The 

 poplars furnish important wood and paper material. 



2. Walnut family. Several species furnish edible nuts— black 

 and English walnuts, butternut, hickory, pecan. All the trees 

 furnish valuable hard woods, used both for heavy implements 

 and for fine furniture and interior finish. The bark of hickory 

 and the others furnishes valuable tanning material. 



3. Beech order. The beeches, chestnuts, oaks, alders, filberts, 

 and hazels are the important members of this group. Besides 

 food, timber, and tanning material we get cork from some of the 



