THE LURE OF THE PINEY WOODS 175 



In order to protect itself from the fires the saw 

 palmetto grows in an almost absolutely prostrate 

 position, often with the lower half of its stems buried 

 in the ground. The upper or exposed parts of 

 these stems are so thickly covered with "boots" 

 (the bases of the old leaf stalks) that fire cannot 

 harm them. Only the growing point turns up- 

 ward and it is protected by the bases of the living 

 leaves and an almost fireproof netting. In the 

 pine land along the borders of swamps these pal- 

 mettos reach a great size and length, their growing 

 ends always pointing in the direction of the low 

 land. As they push on along the ground they 

 often fork and crawl over or under each other. 

 This can best be observed after a severe fire, for 

 then all the other vegetation is burned away. I 

 never look at them at such a time without fancying 

 that they are a lot of sleeping alligators, their scaly 

 backs completing the illusion, and I half expect to 

 see them wake with the slightest noise and rush 

 into the swamp. In the lowland, where there is 

 practically no danger of fire, this palm usually 

 grows half erect, and in wet ground it becomes 

 actually treelike, attaining a height of fifteen 

 feet. 



