UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 107 



Some palms are gregarious, forming large 

 \voods, and naturally spreading over whole dis- 

 tricts ; as the dwarf palm does in the South of 

 Europe. She says, that the different species 

 are never much intermixed ; though their dis- 

 tricts are small, they are generally distinct from 

 each other. It is remarkable, that no palm of 

 the old world is found in America, except the 

 cocoa-nut and the oil-palm of the coast of Guinea; 

 and that there is but one species common to 

 Asia and Africa. The palms of New Holland, 

 also, are peculiar to that country; and I believe 

 that she said, those of the Mauritius only occur 

 in those islands. The cocoa, the date, and the 

 sago palms, are the most widely distributed ; but 

 the true home of the palms is the torrid zone ; 

 for, of 110 well known species, only twelve are 

 found outside the tropics. 



1 asked Miss P. whether the leaves which are 

 found lining the tea-chests, belong to a palm. 

 Certainly not, she said, nor to any of the cane 

 families, as is evident from the want of a mid- 

 rib ; it is generally believed that they belong to 

 some of the grass tribes, and indeed very closely 

 resemble the broad-leaved pharus. 



My uncle pointed out to her several large and 

 flourishing plants of the ficus elastica, or caout- 

 chouc tree. They have succeeded so well for 

 the last two years in a stove kept at a very low 

 temperature, that some of them are now removed 



