110 THE PALMS OF ASIA. 



them. The crown of leaves at the head of the 

 tree is more than forty feet in diameter. The 

 flowers emerge as in the last species, and are 

 clustered on a pyramidally branched spadix, 

 which rises to a great height, often as much as 

 tliirty feet above the top of the stem. They 

 are at first of a bright yellow colour, exceed- 

 ingly beautiful to the eye, but emitting an 

 odour too strong and pungent to be pleasant. 

 Before its development, the bunch of flowers is 

 inclosed in a hard rind or spathe, which, upon 

 their expansion, bursts with a loud explosion. 

 The talipat palm blossoms but once during its 

 existence, and that not until it has reached an 

 advanced age — according to the natives, one 

 hundred years. Ribeyro, a Portuguese writer, 

 says in about thirty years, which is more likely 

 to be correct. As soon as the blossoms have 

 withered and the fruit ripened, which occupies 

 fifteen or twenty months, the tree dries up and 

 decays so rapidly, that in two or three weeks ik 

 is seen prostrate and rotting on the ground. 

 Thus, in dying, like the fal^led Phoenix of the 

 ancients, it provides for the renewal of its kind 

 from its ashes. The fruits or seeds are as large 

 as cherries, and exceedingly numerous, but not 

 eatable ; they are only useful as seeds to repro- 

 duce and multiply the tree. It appears that 



