SPADICIFLOR^;. 301 



abundance of oil. Cocas (the Cocoannt-palm), Attalea, Elceis, 

 Acrocomia, Bactris. 



4. LEPIDOCARYIIO;. The floral-leaves and flowers are borne in 

 2 rows on the spadix. The carpels are united into one 3-locular 

 ovary ; the fruit is coated by a layer of hard, shining, imbricate 

 scales. The majority of the species are thorny, and climb by 

 means of the thorny leaves. Some have fan-like (Mauritia), others 

 pinnate leaves (Raphia, Calamus, Eugeissonia, Metroxylon; the 

 stems of the latter die after the first flowering). 



5. BORASSIN^E. Large Fan-palms without thorns, with 3-locular ovary. 

 Drupe with separate stones. I.atania and Lodoicea have many stamens ; 

 Hyplicene', Borassus (Palmyra-palm). 



6. ARECINEJE. The most numerous group. Feather-palms. Berry. Areca, 

 Euterpe, Oreodoxa, Ceroxylon, Chamcedorea, Geonoma, Caryota with bi-pinnate 

 leaves. 



7. PHYTE^EPHANTIN^E. Flowers with rudimentary perianth united in close 

 capitula. Pliyteleplias (Vegetable-ivory). Nipa. 



DISTRIBUTION. About 1,100 species are known. In Europe only the Dwarf- 

 palm (Chamcerops humilis) is wild (Western Mediterranean). The Date palm 

 (Phce.nix dactylifera) belongs to North Africa and West Asia. Other African 

 genera are Hyphcene (Doum-palm) and Elceis (E. guineensis, Oil-palm). A 

 large majority of the genera are found in South America and in the East 

 Indies. The following are AMERICAN: Mauritia, Acrocomia, Bactris, Chamce- 

 dorea, Oreodoxa, Euterpe, Attalea, etc. ASIATIC : Metroxylon, Calamus, Areca, 

 Borassus, Lodoicea ("Double -cocoanutp," Seychelles) and others. The Cocoa- 

 nut-palm has perhaps an American origin ; all the other species of the same 

 genus being endemic in America ; it is the only Palm found on the coral islands 

 of the Pacific Ocean, and is also the ouly one which is common to both hemi- 

 spheres. 



USES. Palms belong to the most useful plants ; they contain no poison, and 

 are of little medicinal interest, but are largely employed in the arts and manu- 

 factures, the hard timber being adapted for many purposes on account of the 

 hard tissue in which the vascular bundles are embedded. " Cane " is the 

 stem of Calamus-species (from India). SAGO is obtained from the pith of 

 Metroxylon rumphii (Sago-palm, Sunda-Is., Moluccas), Mauritia flexuosa, etc. 

 Sugar-containing sap (" palm wine ") is obtained from the American Mauritia 

 vinifera and flexuosa, Borassus fiabelliformis (Asiatic Palmyra-palm), Arenga 

 saccharifera, etc., by cutting off the young inflorescences, or by perforating the 

 stem before the flowering (arrack is distilled from this). Vascular strands for 

 the manufacture of mats and brushes, etc., are obtained from the outer cover- 

 ing (mesocarp) of the Cocoanut, and from the detached leaf-sheaths of Attalea 

 funifera (Brazil) (Fig. 296). WAX is yielded by the leaves of Copernicia cerifera 

 (caruaiiba-wax, Amazon region), and by the stem of Ceroxylon andicola 

 (palm-wax, Andes) ; East Indian Dragon's blood is from the fruit of Calamus 

 draco ; the young buds of many species, especially Euterpe, Cocos, Attalea, 

 64,0., are used as " cabbage." Palm-oil is obtained from the oily mesocarp 



