FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



of Jehovah in the Temple of Jerusalem. They symbolize all human 

 pomp and victory, and Christ, entering Jerusalem to triumph over the 

 world, trod under foot the palm branches cast down before him by 

 the multitude. Herodotus mentions the date tree in several places. Thus 

 B. i. ch. 193, among the products of the plain of Babylonia, the inha- 

 bitants of which obtained from it bread, and wine (toddy), and sugar 

 (jagry). B. ii. ch. 86, describing the practice of the Egyptian em- 

 balmers of washing the corpse after removing the brain and bowels, with 

 palm wine. B. iv. chs. 1/2 and 182, referring to the date harvest of 

 the Nasamonians : and B. iv. ch. 194, in which he writes of the country of 

 the Gyzantians, there " a vast deal of honey is made by bees, very much 

 more however by the skill of men." Pliny states that Judaea was 

 renowned for its dates even more than for its perfumes. The Date will 

 not mature its fruit where the temperature sinks below 84, nor will the 

 Vine ripen where the mean annual temperature is above 84, The 

 conditions of both meet in Palestine. The date is also found in Egypt and 

 Barbary, and throughout Mesopotamia. The Date of the Deccan is *Phcenix 

 sylvestris, Rox. Khurjjooree, Sans. Sendhi, Kajar, Hind. P.farinifera, 

 W. Small Date Palm of Coromandel, Sirrooeetchum, Tarn. Ckittaeita, 

 Tel. has a floury drupe eaten as a bread-stuff without preparation. See 

 " Narcotics," " Sugars," and " Starches." 



N. 0. 255. PANDANACE^E. SCREWPINES. 

 Pandanus odoratissimus. W. Green-spined Screw Pine. 



Linn. Syst. Dicecia Monandria. 



The pulp of the fruit, and the tender leaf, as succedanea in times 

 of famine. 



Vernacular. Cetaca, Sans. Ketukee, Sans. Beng. Kea, Beng. 

 Keura, Ketgi, Gagandhool, Hind. Talum, Tarn. Mugali, Tel. 

 Wceta keyiya, Cey. Leram, Nicobar. Cadhi, Arab. Pandang, 

 Malaya. 



Habitat. East Indies. 



Remarks. First mentioned by Serapion. The fruit is stated to be 

 eaten in the Nicobars, and in times of famine in the Eastern Archipelago. 

 The fruit produced in Bombay is not edible. N. O. 256. Typhaceae, 

 furnishes Typha latifolia, W. Great Cat's tail, and T. anaustifolia, W. 

 Lesser Cat's tail, both used in Britain like Asparagus. From Typha 

 elephantina, the Boree of Sindh, and from T. utilis t the Hunga-hunga of 

 New Zealand are prepared. See " Starches." 



N. O. 257. ARACEJE. ARADS. 



Amorphophallus campanulatus. Blume. Campanulate Amor- 



phophallus. 



Linn. Syst. Moncecia Poljandria. 



The corm, used as a vegetable. 

 .185 * 



