714 PANDANACE. 
nutritious, and afford the principal food of the inhabitants of some parts of 
Africa and Arabia. Animals are also fed upon them. They are imported 
into this country, and used for dessert, but they are not so much esteemed 
as they deserve. They have been lately employed as a food for cattle, but 
at present their price is too high to allow of any great consumption for 
such a purpose. They were also much used a few years since in the prepa- 
ration of what was called ‘Date Coffee.’ The Date Palm is the Palm 
commonly referred to in Scripture. The juice (toddy) affords sugar, and an 
intoxicating beverage termed lagbi is also sometimes obtained from it. The 
leaves, the fibres obtained from the leaf stalks, the wood, and in fact nearly 
every part of this palm, are applied to some useful purpose.—P. sylvestris, 
the Wild Date Palm, is the plant from which the largest quantity of palm 
sugar is obtained. It is a native of India, where it is said 130,000,000 
pounds of sugar are annually extracted from it. Palm sugar resembles 
cane sugar in flavour. The total amount of palm sugar obtained from the 
different kinds of Palms has been estimated by Johnston at 220,000,000 
pounds.—P. farinifera yields an inferior kind of Sago, which is "used in 
some parts of India. 
Phytelephas macrocarpa.—The hard albumen of the seeds of this Palm 
constitutes the Vegetable Ivory of commerce ; this is used extensively by the 
turners ; but its principal consumption is for button-making. ‘These seeds 
are usually imported from Guayaquil. The fruits are supposed to present 
some resemblance to negroes’ heads, and are hence termed Cabeza del negro. 
Raphia Ruffia—The integument peeled from the young leaves of this 
Palm is said to constitute the substance known as Manila Bast or Raphia 
Bast, which is used as a tying material by gardeners. 
Seaforthia eleyans.—This Palm produces the Moreton Bay Canes of com- 
merce. 
Cohort 2. Arales.—Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual, ar- 
ranged on a spadix, spike, or head, and with or without a 
spathe ; or sunk in pits of a minute scale-like frond. Perianth 
absent or scaly. Fruit a drupe or baccate. Seeds 1, few or 
many, almost always albuminous ; embryo minute, usually 
straight. Herbs, often very large, or rarely trees. 
Order 1. PANDANACES, the Screw-pine Order.—Charac- 
ter. —Pahn-like trees (fig. 199, 2) or shrubs. Leaves amplexi- 
caul, linear-lanceolate, and then imbricate, and spirally arranged 
in 3 rows; or pinnated or fan-shaped. Flowers unisexual or 
polygamous, numerous, arranged on a simple or branched spadix, 
with many spathaceous bracts. Perianth absent or scaly. Sta- 
mens numerous ; anthers 2—4-celled. Ovaries 1-celled ; ovules 
solitary or numerous, on parietal placentas. Fruit consisting of 
a number of 1-seeded fibrous drupaceous carpels, or baccate, and 
many-celled, and many-seeded. Hmbryo minute, imbedded at 
the side near the base of fleshy albumen. By Bentham and 
Hooker this order is separated into two orders, the Pandanacex 
and the Cyclanthacee. 
Distribution and Numbers. —Exclusively tropical plants. 
Illustrative Genera :—Pandanus, Linn. fil. ; Carludovica, R. et P. 
There are about 75 species. 
Properties and Uses. —None possess any very active properties. 
Pandanus has edible seeds. The juice which flows from the 
