180 



in the slender Cuhotius, PI ijcho^jiprma, etc., to tlie very substantial 

 looking trunks of Oreodoxa, Mefroxyloti, BoraKsus, and Cori^pJia, 

 which in some specimens are aiiythiriig from 3-5 feet. 



'In Oreodoxa regia, H. B. K., the trunk is quite smooth, while 

 in Archontophoenix Alexandrac, WeudL, it is ringed l)y the scars of 

 the old leaves. Other species such as Attaleu Cohune, Mart., and 

 Elaeis gnineenms, Jacq,. retain the bases of the old leaves which 

 gives them a rugged appearance. Ferns and orchids often ol)tain 

 a footing in these leaf bases ])r('Sonting a typically tropic'al effect- 

 In Caryota vrens, L., the sheatliing bases remain round tlie stem 

 after' the leaves have fallen and are bound together with a dense 

 mass of fibres. Yet other palms have spiny trunks as for ex- 

 ample. On cos per III a. horrida, Scheif., and O. fasricidata, Thw. 



A'ery few of the palms have branched tru]d\S. One species 

 Hi/phaene indica,. Becc, is represented in tlie gardens, but the 

 plants are quite small and are only aljout six months old. 



The Rattans (('(da mus, etc.,) are almost the only palms whose 

 stems are not self-supporting. 



Leaf. As new leaves are produced the old leaves generally die 

 off and fall away. By this meaus in most oases a fine trunk is 

 produced, surmounted l)y a magnificent crown of leaves. It is this 

 crown of leaves which gives such a distinctive beauty to palms 

 in general. iThey vary consideral)ly in size, from the small-leaved 

 Rliapis flahcUiformis, L'Herit, to the gigantic leaved Teysmannia 

 altifrons, Miq. 



llie variation in the sha])e of the leaf is considerahle. but may 

 be considered under two heads : — 



(1) Palmate, in whic-li the leaves are characteristically fan- 



sha])ed and 

 i(2) Pinnate, in which the leaves are cut similar to a feather. 



Exam))les of the first are JJrisfona. and Tliniinx. of the 

 latter Pitjchosperma, Cijrtosiachijs, and Oncospenna. 



Feather leaved palms have on the whole ^ery much larger 

 le^ives than fan palms. Tlie length of some of them being as much 

 as 30 ft., and their width <S ft. However, none quite so large are 

 to be seen at present in the Oardens. The angle which the leaf 

 makes with the stem varies according to the age of the leaf. At 

 first wlieii opening, a leaf is almost upright, but as it developes it& 

 weight bends it down and the falling away of the lower leaves 

 causes it to hang lower until it in its turn dies and falls away. The 

 leaves of fan palms as a riile form a larger angle with the stem than 

 those of the feather palms. The reason being, that the weight is 

 less evenly distributed, l)eing placed .at the entl of the petiole, in- 

 stead of almost the whole length of the leaf as in the latter. 



Considerable A'ariation is found in the leaflets. In the pinnate 

 section their relative positions on the leaf-rachis give a distinctive 

 appearance to many sjx^cies. A few e\am))les in lioth sections will 

 cmpliasize fhis. In the ])alniate section, one finds in Prilchardia 



