2438 



PALM 



PALM 



nut, Lodoicea maldivica, which will sometimes weigh 

 forty pounds each and require several years to reach 

 maturity. 



As a rule, the members of any single genus of palms 

 are found in one hemisphere, either the eastern or 

 western as the case may be, probably the greater num- 



2727. Flowers and fruits of Accelorhaphe Wrightii. a, part of 

 flowering branchlet; b, unopened flower; c, flower full open; d, 

 fruit; e, kernel of fruit; /, seed as shown on the raphal side; g, 

 lengthwise section through embryo. 



her of species being of Asiatic and American origin, 

 rather than African. An apparent exception is found 

 to this system of hemispheric distribution in the case 

 of the coconut, this plant being so very widely distrib- 

 uted throughout the tropical world that ita original 

 habitat is still in doubt. On the other hand, some spe- 

 cies are known to be very local in their natural state, 

 in proof of which the howeas may be cited; this genus 

 has been found only within the circumscribed area of 

 Lord Howe's Island, which, from a comparative point 

 of view, may be termed merely a fragment of land 

 (probably of volcanic origin), a mere dot on the broad 

 bosom of the South Pacific. 



Few palms are found within the limits of the United 

 States as natives, the most common being the well- 

 known palmetto, Sabal Palmetto, a member of the fan- 

 leaved section, to which many of the American palms 

 belong. But while the species of palms native in the 

 United States are limited in numbers, yet there is at 

 least one unique species in the group in the form of 

 Pseudophoenix Sargentii, a monotypic palm, that is 

 known to exist in a wild state only on certain of the 

 Florida Keys, and in limited numbers even there, and 

 recently in Cuba and Santo Domingo. 



Europe is even less favored as to native palms, there 

 being but one species known there in that condition, 

 Charmerops humilis, also a fan-leaved species and com- 

 paratively hardy, being capable of enduring moderate 

 frosts. 



The palm tree of the Bible is doubtless the date palm, 

 Phoenix dactylifera, which is found in large numbers 

 throughout Syria to this day; and in fact the small 

 grove of dates within easy reach of the Syrian house- 

 holder forms one of his most valuable assets, for it 

 provides food not only for his family, but frequently 

 for his horses or camels also. 



The act of producing- flowers does not necessarily ter- 

 minate the life of a palm, though in some instances 

 such an effect may be produced by this cause; but a 

 singular habit has been noted in regard to the flowering 

 of the fish-tail palm, Caryota urens, which when it 

 reaches maturity begins to throw out a flower-spike 

 from the top of the stem, this being followed by succes- 

 sive spikes of flowers, and ultimate bunches of seeds 

 from the top of the plant downward, the flower-spikes 

 appearing at the joints of the stem, and when this pro- 

 cess of flowering has proceeded down to the ground, or 



until the vitality of the plant has been exhausted, death 

 ensues. 



There are also a number of species of palms that 

 develop a soboliferous habit, throwing up a number of 

 shoots from the base of the plant, Rhapis flabellifor- 

 mis, sometimes known as the ground rattan, being a 

 good example of this class, among which the widely 

 grown and elegant Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is also 

 found, together with the geonomas, some of the phrenix 

 and various other genera. Many of the palms are 

 unisexual, but there are also many others in which both 

 male and female flowers are produced on the same 

 spadix, in some examples the males being grouped 

 together near the ends of the branches of the inflores- 

 cence and the females nearer to the main stem, while 

 in others a female is placed between two males, thus 

 arranging the flowers in threes. 



Cross-pollination of palms by artificial means has 

 probably been seldom practised, there being few culti- 

 vated collections in which the opportunity for such an 

 operation has presented itself; but it seems highly prob- 

 able that such cross-fertilization has been accidentally 

 effected among wild plants, for in large lots of seed- 

 lings intermediate forms are frequently seen, this 

 peculiarity having been noted among howea seedlings, 

 where forms intermediate between H. Belmoreana and 

 H. Forsteriana are found, and sometimes seedlings 

 that seem to combine the characteristics of H. Belmo- 

 reana and those of its near relative Hedyscepe Canter- 

 buryana. Similar variations from a given type have 

 also been noted among the phoenix, several so-called 

 species being most likely merely varieties. 



Many palms are armed with stout thorns or prickles, 

 not only the stems but also the leaves and even the 

 fruits in some species being thus guarded, these prickles 

 being usually very hard and tough. In some cases, 

 notably Acanthorhiza aculeata, the prickles around 

 the stem are often branched, and are decidedly unpleas- 

 ant to come in contact with. In the case of Desmoncus, 

 this being the western representative of the rattan 

 palms, the tip of the midrib of the leaf is continued in 

 the form of a hooked spine, and helps to support the 

 plant in its scandent career. The sharp spines of cer- 

 tain palms are used for poisoned arrows by some of 

 the South American tribes, these arrows being pro- 

 jected through a blow-pipe formed from a section of 

 the hollow stem of another palm. Among the species of 

 Phoenix, it is -often found that several of the leaflets 

 nearest to the base of the leaf are developed as spines, 

 these thorny leaflets becoming stiff and hard, and capa- 

 ble of making a very sore wound. 



The very great economical value of many of the palms 

 can only be touched upon within the limits of the pres- 

 ent article, the 

 uses to which 

 not only the 

 fruits but also 

 the stems and 

 leaves are put 

 by the natives 

 of many tropi- 

 cal countries 

 being enough 

 of themselves 

 to fill volumes. 

 One prominent 

 example of this 

 great utility is 

 the Palmyra 

 palm, of which 

 a Hindoo poet 

 enumerated 

 over 800 differ- 

 ent uses. Other 

 notable ex- 

 amples include 



2728. Flowers and fruit of Coccothrinax 

 Miraguano. a, part of flowering branchlet; b, 

 flower from which ovary has been removed, 

 inner view; c, flower viewed, from behind; d, 

 seed, with hilum in center; e, seed, upper 

 surface; /, seed in transverse section; g, 

 lengthwise section of seed, through embryo. 



