150 THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



Some of the palms and other endogense are of a most 

 beautiful form, and are moreover quite as useful as beautiful, 

 furnishing food to the inhabitants of many regions, especially 

 the Arabs of the Desert, who carry the dried fruit of the 

 Date-palm with them, on crossing these vast plains of sand, 

 as their chief food. The Plantain (Musa sapientum) forms 

 a most beautiful and graceful object, with its enormous 

 leaves springing up from the ground by their midrib in 

 clusters, and extending upwards for 20 or more feet in 

 graceful curves, affording a shady and cool retreat beneath 

 them from the burning rays of the sun; the fruit is also one 

 of the necessaries of life in the regions where they abound. 

 The Fan-palm is another beautiful specimen, from the fan-like 

 leaves of which the punkahs or Indian fans are made. The 

 Palmyra palm furnishes leaves which are used to thatch 

 houses, the sap is drunk as a refreshing beverage, and 

 when evaporated yields a kind of sugar called " juggery," 

 from which palm-wine is made. 



The palms were amongst the first trees created, their 

 fossil stems being constantly found ; they were even then 

 associated with the elephant and rhinoceros, and although 

 these are found chiefly in the northern parts of Europe, yet 

 it is much more reasonable to suppose that the climate of 

 these parts has changed, than that these two favourites of 

 the sunny regions should have had their natures changed. 



Among the useful members of the endogenae may be 

 mentioned the Maranta Arundinacese, or Arrow-root plant, 

 which is thus described by Dr. Baird : " It is a genus of 

 monocotyledonous plants, belonging to the natural order 

 Cannacese or Marantaceae, and composed of herbs which 

 have a well- developed rhizome or tuberous root containing 

 a large quantity of fecula or starch. The species are natives 

 for the most part, of tropical America, a few being also found 

 in India. The structure of the flowers is remarkable, and 

 the fruit fleshy. The most important species is the 

 Maranta Arundinacese, a plant which is extensively culti- 

 vated in the West Indies, the southern parts of the United 

 States, and in the Isle of France, for the sake of its root, 

 which affords the substance so well-known as Arrow-root. 



