JUB^OPSIS CAFFRA BECC. : 

 A NEW GENUS OF PALMAE FROM PONDOLAND. 



By Prof. Rudolf Marloth, M.A., Ph.D. 



Some years ago, ^Ir. Charles Ross, then Conservator of 

 Forests at Umtata, reported the occurrence of a palm which was 

 quite dififerent from the two known species growing in our south- 

 eastern coast belt, I'iz., Phccni.v recUnata and Hyphcene crinita. 

 Some fruits of this palm v/ere sent to Kew, and considered 

 (possibly) to belong to Cocos Yi7tay. a native of the Argentine 

 and Southern Brazil. Nothing further was ascertained at tlie 

 time. 



As artificial introduction was out of the question, and as the 

 palm occurs only in close proximity to the sea, it appeared not 

 impossible that, originally, ocean currents might have brought the 

 seeds to our shores. The matter appeared of great scientific in- 

 terest, for the genus Cocos is, apart from the widely spread Coco 

 palm, entirely American ; hence I collected as much information 

 concerning it as possible. Mr. Ross states, in a letter, that the 

 palm occurs only at the estuaries near the mouths of the Umsi- 

 kaba and Umtentu Rivers, and at both localities only on the 

 northern bank, the rivers flowing here nearly due east. It grows 

 in isolated clumps, and occupies tlie nearly horizontal rock ter- 

 races (Table Mountain sandstone), which form the shore at this 

 part of the coast, but not more than lo to 30 feet above the water's 

 edge. 



Tlie locality is very much out of the way, and difficult of 

 access, but with the assistance of the present Conservator of 

 Forests at Umtata, Mr. P. T. Doran. 1 finally succeeded in ob- 

 taining leaves, a young spadix and some spikes of young fruit, as 

 well as ripe fruits. The material did not agree with the descrip- 

 tion of the genus Cocos, nor of C. Yafay in particular, and the 

 director of Kew Gardens, to whom I forwarded a complete set, 

 passed it on to a specialist, -vie. I^rofessor Beccari, at Florence. 

 This author replied, that there was no question about its being a 

 true Cocoinec, but that it represented a new genus, which he 

 named Jtibccopsis, and the species /. caffra. 



Close to the sea the plants are low and bushy, bui a little 

 further in. the stem reaches a height of 20 feet, with leaves 

 10 to 15 feet, and panicles up to 5 feet long. Each branch of the 

 panicle carries 30 to 40 twigs, which are thickly covered with 

 clusters of fruits. The ripe fruit is orange yellow, i^ inches in 

 diameter, with a scanty fibrous pericarp; the stone is nearlv 

 globular. 1 1-5 inch, in diameter, the longitudinal section slightlv 



