Hog Cabbage Palm 



145 



VIII. HOG CABBAGE PALM 



GENUS PSEUDOPHCENIX WENDLAND 



Species Pseudophoenix Sargenti Wcndland 



Cydospathe Northropi O. F. Cook 



HIS palm grows abundantly on many of the Bahama islands, inter- 

 mixed with hardwood-trees and shrubs in the coppices, and also 

 occurs on Elliott's Key and Key Largo, southern Florida. The 

 genus Pseudophoenix (Greek, false Phoenix), is monotypic, only this 

 one species being known, which is also known as Sargent's palm. 



Fig. 109. Hog Cabbage Palm, Whale Cay, Bahamas. 



The tnmk is sometimes 8 meters high, usually lower, and from 1.5 to 3 dm. 

 in diameter; it usually bulges somewhat above the base and the ring-hke scars of 

 faUen leaf-bases are prominent and close together. The leaves are often 1.5 to 

 2 meters long, spreading or the youngest erect, pinnate with very numerous irreg- 

 ularly clustered firm leaflets, which are linear-lanceolate, gradually long-pointed, 

 0.8 to 2.5 cm. wide, dark green on the upper side, pale green on the lower, and 

 those at or about the middle of the leaf are the longest ; the leaf-stalk is ver\' stout, 

 much shorter than the pinnate part, expanded at the base into a broad sheath, 

 convex and glaucous on the under side, concave or nearly flat on the upper; the 



