374 General Botany 



avocados, pineapples, and bananas are grown in large quantities 

 for export. Along the coasts the coconut palm is extensively 

 planted. It is valuable for its nutritious seeds and for the fibers 

 in the husks that surround the seeds. Chicle, the coagulated sap 

 of the naseberry tree, is a forest product used in the manufacture of 

 chewing gum. Vanilla is obtained from the dried fruits of a 

 climbing orchid native to America. Cloves are the unopened 

 flower buds of a small tree cultivated in the West Indies. 



At higher elevations on the mountains of the tropical forest 

 region, wheat, corn, and beans are local sources of food for the 

 natives. Deciduous forests furnish valuable timber, and the 

 clearings afford rich pasture. The mountain slopes still higher 

 up are covered with pine forests. 



