JUByEOPSIS CAFFRA BECC. 43 



conical in its lower half; i-seeded, and the weight 12 to 14 

 grammes. The three germinating holes are arranged near the 

 equator of the stone, not near the base as in Cocos. The nearly 

 allied Jubcca. which comprises a single species (Chili), has an 

 elongated, somewhat 3-side(l stone. The endosperm is hollow, of 

 a sweetish taste, resembling that of the coco-nut ; the embryo is 

 lateral. 



The Native name of the p^\m is ' inkomba," while that of 

 Phoenix rcclinata is " lisundu." 



A curious fact in connection with this palm is mentioned by 

 Professor Beccari, znz., that there is an illustration in " Martins, 

 Hist. Nat. Palmarum " (plate 164) whicii is supposed to repre- 

 sent Pha-niv reclinata, but obviously belongs to another species. 

 Up to the time of receiving my material that illustration had been 

 a puzzle to him, as no such palm was known, but now he recog- 

 nised that it is evidently our plant. Nothing, however, is known 

 about the original from which the drawing was made. Some 

 collector must have sent specimens to Europe before. Was it, 

 perhaps, J. F. Drege? He visited the neighbourhood of both 

 localities in 1832, but in the list of his collections from Pondoland 

 no other palm, besides the two common kinds, is mentioned. 



Jubcropsis caffra is another addition to the fairly long list of 

 phy to-geographical problems which South Africa offers, for, as 

 far as known, and apart from the Coco palm, it is the only repre- 

 sentative of the sub-tribe in Africa, and its nearest ally, Jubcra 

 spectabilis, the only species of that genus, inhaljits the West Coa.st 

 of South America (Chili). 



As this is such a rare and highly interesting plant, it would 

 be very desirable that it should be soon introduced into cultiva- 

 tion, and 1 hope that the Durban garden, as well as the new 

 National Botanic Garden at Kirstenbosch, will see to that without 

 delay. 



A Neiv Oil-yielding Tree from Lourenco 

 Marques. — In the Kcw Bulletin, 1913, No. 4. p. 131, it i:^ 

 announced that a tree which grows in profusion in the Lourenco 

 Marques district has been identified as belonging to an un- 

 described species of Balanites (Simarnbacecc). It produces a 

 fruit whose kernel is highly oleaginous, yielding at least 60 per 

 cent, of a fine oil perfectly stiitable for alimentary, lubricating 

 or manufacturing purposes. The species is described under the 

 name Balanites Maiighaniii. In the Madanda forest the tree is 

 known by the native name of Maudnro. It is doubted whether 

 the fruit will prove economically capable of export, as the kernel 

 is, enclosed in a thick filirous shell, which would, moreover, first 

 have to be extracted from the sugary pulp surrounding it. The 

 oil is a clear, yellow liquid, williout proirounced taste or smell. 



