140 MONOCOTYLEDONS 



time, the leaves enlarge one by one until they have approximately 

 the size of those of full-grown trees. Numerous fibrous roots 

 are being produced to fix the tree firmly in the soil. -When it 

 has thus gradually attained the size of a full-grown tree, as 

 regards the girth of the trunk and the tuft of leaves, it at last 

 begins to raise itself, and henceforth ceases to grow in width. By 

 planting it in a pit, a strong hold in the soil is secured. Later on, 

 adventitious roots spring from the trunk higher up, holding the tree 

 like the ropes of a flag-staff. The pit is filled up and disappears. 



5. Flowers. — Out of the axils of the leaves spring the much- 

 branched inflorescences which are at first protected by a huge 

 spathe (fig. 126, 4). The spathe is torn open in longitudinal lines 

 by the swelling llowers within. It remains a long time at the 

 base of the gigantic inflorescence, which is a fleshy panicle di- 

 vided into numerous drooping spikes, crowded with unisexual 

 flowers. Such a form of inflorescence, in which the flowers are 

 closely arranged round a fleshy axis and the whole surrounded 

 by a large leaf (spathe), is termed spadix. It is found in tlie 

 Palma', Aroideie and Pandanace*, which families are, there- 

 fore, sometimes grouped as Spadiciflone. The rapid development 

 of tlie spadix is only made possible by a rich flow of sap from 

 the trunk. This explains the obtaining of palm-wine by cutting 

 the spadix. 



The flowers are unisexual, /. e., both sexes grow on the same 

 plant. They are placed on the branches of the spadix in such 

 a way that tlie male Jloivers greatly outnumber the female ones, 

 and also so that the female flowers are always near the base of 

 the panicle and the male ones at the end. It is good that the 

 female flowers are situated at the lower end of the panicles, for, if 

 the heavy nuts were suspended by a long stalk, they couUl easily 

 be detached by the wind. — The staminate flowers, which can be 

 picked up in large num])ers at the foot of every fruit-bearing 

 Cocoanut tree, as they (lro[) after flowering, consist of three 

 smaller sepals and three larger petals, all being horny and straw- 

 coloured. The six stamens are also arraniiod in two whorls of 

 three and three. The pistillate flowers are much larger than 

 the staminate ones. They consist of six imbricating petals and 



