LIBkAkV 

 NEW YORK 

 BOTANICAI. 



OAWOhN 



A CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF THE OIL. PALM, 



ELAEIS GUINEENSIS JACQ. 



by 

 Cecil Yampolsky. 



Introduction. 



The oil palm, Elaeis guineensis jACQ., is a native of Africa and it has 

 been exploited by the natives and Europeans for the commercial products 

 palm and kernel oil. The oil is secured from the fruit, the pericarp yieldiiig 

 the so-called pericarp oil, the kernel yielding kernel oil. The fruit has 

 received the greatest amount of attention. Although countless publications 

 on the varieties of the oil palm hâve appeared no work of a morpholo- 

 gical, anatomical or physiological character has been done. 



The extension of the oil palm culture on an extensive scale in the 

 Dutch East Indies and especially upon the East Coast of Sumatra has 

 created an interest in the plant which included a program for a complète 

 morphological, anatomical, histological and physiological investigation of 

 ^he plant. 



The work u^as begun at the „Algemeen Proefstation der A. V. R.O.S." 

 in Medan (Sumatra) and later transferred to Buitenzorg under the auspices 

 of the „Departement van Landbouw". 



Circumstances hâve prevented the completion of the program that had 

 been mapped out and it is hoped that the gaps left in this work will in 

 the near future be closed up. 



1 wish to express my indebtedness to Dr. A. A. L, RUTGERS, Dr. P.J.S. 

 Cramer, Dr. W. Docters van Leeuwen, Dr. C. F. von Faber, Dr. I. 

 BOLDINQH for their coopération in furthering this work. 



Medan, Sumatra, 

 Buitenzorg, Java. 



