176 HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Cori/pJia. 



lie the rafters of their houses^, for they are said to be 

 strong and durable. I do not find that the wood is ap- 

 plied to any useful purpose. 



2. C. elata. R. 



Xertfes lunate-cordate, palmate-pinnatifid, plaited; seg- 

 ments from forty to fifty pair; stipes armed. Tnflores- 

 cence globular, one-fourth the length of the trunk of the 

 tree. 



Berig, Biyoor, or B^«jur-batool. 



This stately palm is a native of Bengal, where it flow- 

 ers in March and April ; the seeds require about twelve 

 months to ripen. 



Trunk straight, but often varying in thickness. I have 

 two trees, which were pretty well ascertained to be about 

 thirty years old when in flower ; one was seventy feet to 

 the base of the inflorescence, the other about sixty ; cir- 

 cumference near the root eight feet, and about the middle 

 of the trees five and a half or six ; their whole length 

 strongly marked with rough, dark coloured, spiral ridges, 

 and furrows, which plainly point out the spiral arrange- 

 ment of the leaves. The ligneous fibres, as in the order, 

 are on the outside, forming a tube for the soft spongy 

 substance within, of a dark chocolate colour, tough and 

 hard, but by no means equal, in either quantity or qua- 

 lity, to the very serviceable wood of Borassus flabeUi- 

 formis. 



Leaves (fronds ) round the top of the trunk, immedi- 

 ately under the base of the inflorescence, numerous, 

 palmate pinnatifid, plaited from eight to ten feet each 

 way ; segments generally from forty to fifty pair, united 

 about half their length, ensiform, apices rather obtuse and 

 bifid, texture hard, smooth on both sides. When the tree 

 begins to blossom, the leaves wither and soon fall ofl^, 

 leaving the fructiferous part naked. Petioles (stipes) 

 from six to twelve feet long, concave above, with the 



