80 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



: 



Bongardia Rauwolfi, C. A. Meyer. 



From Greece through Turkey to the Caucasus. A perennial herb, 

 the leaves of which are utilised like culinary sorrel. 



Borassus ^Ethiopians, Martins. 



Africa, from Zanzibar to Egypt. A palm of gigantic dimensions, 

 its stem attaining 9 feet in diameter at the base, or 7 feet at 4 

 feet above the ground ; sometimes even stems have been measured 

 having a circumference of 37 feet. Leaves occur as much as 12 feet 

 across ; they serve for the manufacture of baskets, mats, ropes and 

 sieves. The edible portion of the fruit is yellow, stringy, of a fruity 

 flavor. The sap, obtained from incisions in the stem under the 

 leaves, yields a kind of palm-wine. In its natural home the tree 

 always denotes water [Colonel Grant]. Sir W. Hooker admits only 

 one species, and regards Africa solely as its home. Hardier than 

 Cocos nucifera. 



Borassus flabelliformis, Linne". 



The " Palmyra." From the Persian Gulf to India, extending to 

 30 north. This noble palm attains a height of 100 feet. The pulp 

 of the fruit serves as food. Enormous masses of sugar and toddy 

 are produced in India from the sap, which flows from incisions of the 

 stalk of the unexpanded flowers. This palm, wherever hardy, should 

 be reared for scenic plantations. It does well to the tropic of Capri- 

 corn in East- Australia [Edgar]. Assumed to reach, like the Date- 

 Palm, an age of more than 200 years. Many other palms are notable 

 for longevity ; thus Euterpe oleracea has been calculated to attain 

 130 years ; Cocos oleracea, 650 years ; Cocos nucifera, 330 years, 

 according to the number of their stem-rings [Langethal], of which 

 however perhaps more than one are formed in a year. 



Boronia megastigma, Nees. 



In Western Australia, on margins of swamps. This remarkable 

 bush is recorded here as an emblem of mourning, its externally 

 blackish flowers rendering it especially eligible for graves. Indus- 

 trially it interests us on account of its very fragrant blossoms, for 

 the sake of which this bush well deserves to be cultivated. The 

 perfume could doubtless be extracted and isolated, particularly by 

 absorbents in vacuum. Individual plants of this boronia will endure 

 in a cultivated state for very many years. B. heterophylla (F. v. 

 M.) from King George's Sound is of similar but not quite so strong 

 a scent. 



Borrago officinalis, Linne. 



Southern Europe, Orient. An annual herb, rich in nitrate of 

 potassium, occasionally used for medicinal purposes or as an admix- 

 ture to salad. Readily disseminating itself ; not to be overlooked as 

 a honey-plant. 



