THE PALM TREE. 133 
species; and that long elastic plaited cylinder, used 
for squeezing dry the mandiocca pulp to make his 
bread, is made of the bark of one of the singular 
climbing palms, which alone can resist for a consider- 
able time the action of the poisonous juice. In each 
of these cases a species is selected better adapted 
than the rest for the peculiar purpose to which it is 
applied, and often having several different uses which 
no other plant can serve as well; so that some little 
idea may be formed of how important to the South 
American Indian must be 
these noble trees, which Wy 
supply so many daily wants, St ie 
giving him his house, his = te 
food, and his weapons.” PRG aN ffes 
The Palms may be said =“) WINE 
to be almost exclusively a d 
tropical production, a few F 
only being found either to : 
the north or to the south H 
of their limits. A beauti- 
ful species, the “Palmetto,” E 
grows in_ considerable \) ; 
abundance in South Caro- _ 4 ST Se _—— oe 
lina and Florida: this ap» 9 == SS _- 
pears to be the only one 
which exists so far north 
on this continent. The whole number of species yet 
known is about 600, of which 275 are natives of 
America. 
The Palms present in their varied forms some of 
12 
The Palmetto. 
