PHCE 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



PHO 



269 



plants are very slow growers even in their native countries, 

 notwithstanding they arrive to a great magnitude ; for it has 

 been often observed by the old inhabitants of those countries, 

 that the plants of some of these kinds have not advanced two 

 feet in height in ten years; so that when they are brought 

 into these countries, it cannot be expected they should 

 advance very fast, especially where there is not due care 

 taken to preserve them warm in winter. But however slow 

 of growth these plants are in their native countries, they may 

 be "greatly forwarded here by placing the pots in a hot-bed 

 of tanner's bark, which should be renewed as often as neces- 

 sary, and the plants always preserved therein both winter 

 and summer, observing to shift them into larger pots as they 



advance in growth. The species are, 



1. Phoenix Dactylifera; Common Date Palm Tree. Fronds 

 pinnate; leaves folded together, ensiform. This rises to a 

 great height in the warm countries : the stalks are generally 

 full of rugged knots, which are the vestiges of the decayed 

 leaves, for the trunks of the trees are not solid like other 

 trees ; the centre is filled with pith, round which is a tough 

 bark full of strong fibres while young, but as the trees grow 

 old the bark hardens and becomes woody. The leaves of 

 these trees, when grown to a size for bearing fruit, are six or 

 eight feet long, and may be termed branches, for the trees 

 have no other ; these have narrow long leaves, or pinnae, set 

 on alternately their whole length. These trees have male 

 flowers on different plants from those wliich produce the 

 fruit, and there is a necessity for some of the male trees be- 

 ing planted in their vicinity to render them fruitful. Most 

 of the old authors who have mentioned these trees, affirm, 

 that unless the female or fruit-bearing Palm Trees have the 

 assistance of the male, they are barren : hence in those 

 places where there are no male trees near the female, the 

 inhabitants cut off the bunches of male flowers when they 

 are just opened, and carry them to the female trees, placing 

 them on the branches near the female flowers to impregnate 

 them ; which, they all agree, has the desired effect, render- 

 ing the trees fruitful, which would otherwise have been 

 barren. Padre Labat, in his account of America, mentions 

 a single tree of this kind, growing near a convent in the 

 island of Martinico, which produced a great quantity of fruit, 

 which came to maturity enough for eating ; but as there was 

 no other tree of this kind in the island, they were desirous 

 to propagate it, and accordingly planted great numbers of 

 the stones for several years, but not one of them grew ; 

 therefore, after having made several trials without success, 

 they were obliged to send to Africa, where these plants 

 grew in plenty, for some of the fruit, the stones of which 

 they planted, and raised many of the plants. He then con- 

 jectures, that the single tree, before mentioned, might be 

 probably so far impregnated by some neighbouring Palm 

 Trees of other species, as to render it capable of ripening 

 the fruit, but not sufficient to make the seeds prolific. The 

 flowers of both sexes come out in very long bunches from the 

 trunk between the leaves, and are covered with a spatha or 

 sheath, which opens and withers ; those of the male have six 

 short stamina, with narrow four-cornered antheree filled with 

 farina. The female flowers have no stamina, but have a 

 roundish germen, which afterwards becomes an oval berry, 

 with a thick pulp inclosing a hard oblong stone, with a deep 

 furrow running longitudinally. The bunches of fruit are 

 sometimes very large. The fruit of this tree makes a great 

 part of the diet of the ir'.iabitants of Arabia and part of 

 Persia. In Upper Egypt many families subsist entirely upon 

 it. They make a conserve of it with sugar, and even grind 

 the hard stones in their hand-mills for their camels. In Bar- 



bary they turn handsome beads, for the use of the Roman 

 Catholics, of these stones. The Date is said to strengthen 

 the stomach and intestines, to stop looseness, and promote 

 expectoration, for which purpose it is given m pectoral de- 

 coctions. It is also recommended in the piles, given in red 

 wine. The juice of the Date Tree is procured by cutting oif 

 the head or crown of the more vigorous plant, and scooping 

 the top of the trunk into the shape of a basin, where the sap 

 in ascending lodges itself, at the rate of three or four quarts 

 a day, during the first week or fortnight; after which the 

 quantity daily diminishes, and at the end of six weeks 01 

 two months the tree becomes dry, and serves for tiinli; i . 

 fire-wood. This liquor, which has a more luscious sweet- 

 ness than honey, is of the consistence of a thin syrup, but 

 quickly becomes tart and ropy, acquiring an intoxk 

 quality, and giving upon distillation an agreeable spirit ci 1 

 araky, which is the general name for all hot liquors extracted 

 by the alembic. From the leaves of the tree they m-ike 

 baskets, or bags, in Barbary. In Egypt they make fly-tlaps 

 of them, and brushes to cleanse their sofas or cloths. The 

 hard boughs are used as fences to their gardens, and cages 

 to carry their fowls to market. The trunk is split for the 

 same purposes, and is even used in small buildings. It 

 serves likewise for firing. The threads of the web-like inte- 

 gument between the boughs, make ropes, and the rigging of 

 smaller-vessels. 



2. Phoenix Farinifera; Small Date Palm Tree. Fronds 

 pinnate; leaves narrower, more pointed. The small trunk 

 this has is only about o.ne, or at most two feet high, and so 

 entirely enveloped in the leaves, that it is never seen, ;::< 

 whole appearing like a large round bush. Native of < 

 mandel, in dry barren ground, chiefly on sandy lands ,:t a 

 small distance from the sea. It flowers in January ami Fe- 

 bruary, and the fruit is ripe in May. The fruit is a sin^.'t- 

 seeded drupe, the size of a large French bean, of a purple 

 colour: this the natives eat as gathered from the bush,, with- 

 out any preparation. The leaflets are wrought into m .>.?< ; 

 the common petioles are split into three or four, and i:si',l 

 for making ordinary baskets of various kinds : but these art! 

 not so proper for "this purpose as the Bamboo. The srni'll 

 trunk, when divested of its leaves, and the strong brown 

 fibrous web that surrounds the trunk at their insertions, is 

 generally fifteen or eighteen inches long, and six in diarnett r 

 at the thickest part; its exterior or woody part consists cf 

 white fibres matted together, which envelope a large quantity 

 of a farinaceous substance, used as food by the natives in 

 times of scarcity; but to separate this from the fibres, the 

 trunk is split into six or eight pieces, then dried, beaten in 1 

 wooden mortars, and afterwards sifted ; the rest of the pre- 

 paration consists in boiling the meal into a thick gruel, or 

 as it is called in India, congee. It seems to be much k-ss 

 nutritive than Sago, and is less palatable, being considerably 

 bitter when boiled; but probably, by more care in the pre- 

 paration, or by varying the mode, it might be improved. 



Loureiro has described a dwarf Phoenix, or Date Palm, 

 which he characterizes by its having six stamina, and a 

 dwarf trunk. It seems in most respects not to differ from 

 that described above from Coromandel. Native of Cochin- 

 china, on mountains six leagues from Huaea, the capital of 

 Cochin-china, in rocky places near streams. 



Pkormium; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Moiio- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: 

 petals six, ascending obliquely, converging into a tube, ob- 

 long, connate at the base, unequal ; three outer acute, more 

 raised on the back; three inner longer, rounded at the 

 top, concave. Stamina: filamenta six, filiform, ascending, 



