224: 



THE PALMETTO. 



largest diameter. For these and other peculiarities, the stem 

 of the Palm is called a caudex. 



FIG. LIX.-Sabal Pal- 

 metto. From a photo- 

 graph. Scene in Florida, 

 showing Fort Matanzas in 

 the distance. 



The internal struc- 

 ture, as seen in sections, 

 may now be compared with that of Apple tree, Elm, Pine, 

 and other Exogenous trees (p. 109). The contrast is great. 



the tree is called the Cahhage Palmetto. To secure the bud, however, the entire tree 

 has to he sacrificed. The wood does not splinter easily, and, on that account, was 

 employed in building Fort Moultrie in the Revolutionary War (Barnes's History of 

 the United States, p. 170). Blocks from the softer portions of the trunk are used in 

 the South as a substitute for scrubbing brushes. The larger leaves serve for thatch- 

 ing and are woven into baskets or mats, while the smaller are made into hats and 

 bonnets. 



