318 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1936 



But to return to Karsten. Each of the three new species which 

 lie described proves to be interesting in a special way. One hand- 

 some species, now rather well known, which he first saw near Ca- 

 racas in northern Venezuela, represents todaj' the eastward limit of 

 the wax palms. This species, ceriferum^ has a wide distribution, 

 ranging from Caracas to the Santa Marta region in northern Colom- 

 bia and extending on down the Colombian Andes for a considerable 

 distance. It compares favorably to the Quindio wax palm in height 

 since the reports of various observers agree with Karsten's statement 

 that it is about 200 feet tall and likewise has a white trunk, conspicu- 

 ously marked by the leaf-scars, which are 4 to 6 inches apart. Kar- 

 sten first found it at 5,000 feet elevation but states that it occurs about 

 100 feet lower and extends up to an altitude of 8,200 feet. Karsten's 

 drawing (pi, 4, right) illustrates this species. It is a slender palm; 

 Karsten gives its diameter as about 1 foot. The crown is rather 

 sparse, consisting of only 8 to 12 featherlike leaves, bright green on 

 the upper surface, silvery beneath, and as much as 15 feet long. The 

 coral-red fruits are about the size of a hazelnut. Rather recently, 

 Burret, of Berlin-Dahlem, described a new species, schultzei^ from 

 the region of Santa Marta ; its trunk is 200 feet tall but only 8 inches 

 in diameter (Notizblatt, 1929). Such a slender trunk for so great a 

 height is nothing short of astounding. Otherwise, it does not seem 

 to be clearly distinguishable from Karsten's ceriferum. 



The world's record for the highest altitude at which palms grow 

 must be accredited to Karsten's species, utile^ which has already been 

 referred to as growing near the Volcan Chiles, on the boundary 

 between Colombia and Ecuador, at 13,450 feet above sea level. Its 

 height of 40 to 50 feet is not impressive, but it is the one species 

 of wax palm which may be considered as truly alpine, thus empha- 

 sizing the fact that the wax palms defy the usual rules of plant 

 growth and distribution. Karsten found that bears climb the smaller 

 of these palm trees (not exceeding 25 feet) in order to eat the leaves 

 (evidently the bud or "cabbage"). This report is obviously authen- 

 tic but it certainly taxes credulity ; one hardly associates bears with 

 palms. Karsten relates that the leaves of this and other wax palms 

 are used in church processions and that their very flexible leaves are 

 especially suitable for weaving into hats. An interesting feature of 

 the leaves of this species is that the individual leaf divisions or seg- 

 ments are not evenly spaced but arranged in groups of two, three, or 

 four on the length of the midrib (rachis). 



Karsten's third species has the same type of leaf, which explains 

 its specific name, interrwptum. This palm, from 100 to 120 feet tall, is 

 able to grow in a warm climate, since it extends down to 3,930 feet 



