42 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



solved until a lagoon was formed. The Tortugas 

 are believed to be an imperfect atoll, developed 

 in much the same way as the Marquesas ; so also 

 is a minute island, "Key C," lying to the west- 

 ward of Key West. Boca Grande is also a pseudo 

 atoll of the Marquesas type. 



In 1916 I visited the Marquesas for the purpose 

 of finding a rare palm which had been discovered 

 there several years before. As we drew near we 

 sighted it among the thick scrub on the east side 

 of the main island, and it proved at once to 

 be a very distinct and handsome species. This is 

 Thrinax keyensis of Professor Sargent only known 

 from this group of islands and possibly from 

 another small key of the lower chain. It has a 

 stout, ashy gray stem, sometimes twenty-five feet 

 high, raised on a conical base of matted roots. 

 The shining rich green fan-shaped leaves have a 

 brilliant silver color beneath, and are scattered 

 for some distance along the trunk. It is really 

 one of our most beautiful palms and quite distinct 

 from any other in the State. Although unreported 

 from any locality outside of this restricted area it 

 is probable that it may yet be discovered in the 

 Bahamas or West Indies. The islands on which 



