THE PALMS OF AMERICA. 159 



tectonim, the folinge of atIiIcIi is always grey 

 and covered with dust. 



Mauritia vinifera is a gorgeous pahn, some- 

 times a hundred and tliirty feet high, and is 

 called Buriti by the natives. It is a tree of very 

 slow growth, though the light spongy texture 

 of the -wood might have led us to infer the 

 contrary. It has many uses. The sap, drawn 

 from the tree after the manner of toddy in the 

 east, is acidulous, yet sweet, and so nearly 

 resembling -wine in its flavour as to have ob- 

 tained its name {vinifera) for the palm. It is 

 yielded in great abundance. The epidermis (or 

 skin) of the younger leaves, is stripped off, and 

 is of such great tenacity that it makes superior 

 nets and ropes, and is commonly employed in 

 the manufacture of those articles. The leaves 

 are employed to cover roofs, and the leaf stalk 

 is used as an oar. The fruit contains a pulpy 

 mass, which, when prepared with sugar, forms 

 a kind of preserve, named " sajetta" which is so 

 highly esteemed as to sell for a hundred and 

 sixty reals (about eighty shillings) per pound. 

 IMartius mentions the curious circumstance that 

 a certain number of these noble palms forms the 

 marriage -portion of a bride among the nations 

 where the tree grows, and is by no means a 

 despicable dowry. 



