224 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES IVORY 



wards he was seized with intolerable itching, first in his legs 

 and soon all over his body ; all became inflamed, breaking out in 

 pustules, emitting a yellow matter with a fetid odour. The 

 itching continued long painful and irritating, and it was nearly 

 two months before he recovered. 



Ivory Nut Palm {PliyteUjiilias macrocarjpa), native of New 

 Grenada and other parts of Central America. The stem is 

 generally 6 to 8 inches in diameter, suberect, decumbent, or even 

 creeping on the ground, bearing a fascicle of pinnate leaves 18 

 to 20 feet long, the pinnae being narrow like those of the date 

 palm. The fruit consists of about forty nuts enclosed in a 

 spathe of a globular form, the size of a man's head, borne on a 

 short foot-stalk issuing from the axis of the leaves, the whole 

 head weighing about 30 lbs. The nuts are about the size of 

 green walnuts, not quite round, covered with a thin pulpy coat, 

 of which a favourite beverage is made by the natives. The nut 

 is very solid, hard, and white, and when polished has the 

 appearance and hardness of ivory. Large quantities are im- 

 ported to this country and the United States, and made into 

 buttons, umbrella-handles, knobs for doors, work-boxes, toys, etc. 

 This plant was at one time classified amongst the palms, but is 

 now put in an order under the name Phytclepliasiece. 



The term Vegetable Ivory is also given to the seeds of 

 Sagiis amicarum, a palm closely allied to the Sago palm, a native 

 of the Friendly Islands. Its nuts are used for the same purpose 

 as the preceding, but are not so hard. 



Ivy [Hedera Helix), the typical representative of the Ivy 

 family (Araliaceee). It is very widely spread through Europe 

 and the temperate countries of Asia to Japan. It is generally 

 found in woods adhering to trees, which it ultimately destroys. 

 It also clings to walls and other buildings, and in some cases is 

 considered ornamental. Although a climber, its stem attains a 

 considerable size, one at Montpellier being ^ feet in girth, and 

 said to be 433 years old. The name Hedera was given to it . 

 by the ancient Romans, and its specific name Helix by LinnaBus 

 on account of its harbouring snails. The whole plant is aro- 



