KALE OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 231 



species is B. Bvffia, native of Madagascar and ^Mauritius, re- 

 markable for its large fruiting spadices. A specimen in the 

 Kew Museum measures nearly 15 feet in length, and weighs 

 between 200 and 300 lbs. Each fruit is about the size of an 

 egg. The shell consists of closely -imbricated smooth scak'.. 

 which when dry are hard and of a brown colour. The cuticle 

 of the leaves of this palm has of late years been imported into 

 this country in considerable quantities for tying plants, instead 

 of bass, under the name of Eaffia or Eoffia. 



Jute, the fibre of Corcliorus capsularis and C. olitorius, 

 plants of the Lime Tree family (Tiliacese). They are slender- 

 stemmed annuals, attaining a height of 8 to 12 feet, native of 

 and extensively cultivated in India. Originally the fibre was 

 principally used for making gunny-bags for the export of sugar, 

 coffee, etc. Of late years it has become an extensive article of 

 commerce in its raw state to this country, as well as to America, 

 and is manufactured largely into carpets, mats, canvas, and 

 other goods, and is even made into such fine threads as to be 

 woven with silk. Jute in bulk in its raw state is liable to 

 spontaneous combustion, and ship and warehouse fires have 

 resulted from this cause. Its extended use is shown by the 

 imports, which in 1851 were 21,000 tons, and in 1880 4,640,645 

 cwts. 



Juvia. {Sec Brazil Nut.) 



Kaffir Tree {Erythrina caffra), a prickly-stemmed tree of 

 the Bean family (Leguminosae), attaining a height of 50 to 

 60 feet, native of South Africa. Its wood is soft, and its trunk 

 is hollowed out for making canoes, and being light, it is some- 

 times substituted for cork in its native country. 



Kale, Indian. — Caladmm sagittifolium, C. oiymijhcv folium, 

 and Arum divaricatumy species of the Arum family (Aroidete). 

 Their leaves are used as a vegetable in the Fiji and Sandwich 

 Islands. 



Kale, Sea {Crambe maritima), a strong-growing perennial 

 of the Cabbage family (Cruciferae), native of the sea-coasts of 

 this country, especially of the South. It has long been culti- 



