1196 



mere dot 



ouil 



!■ n.i 1. iiiM, ill,, limits of the United 



:;,. II iiiou being the well- 



, ^ /' ', a member of the fan- 



iM ..li !. ii p., ii.!\ all of our native Palms 

 bclciiii;. But wliile the species of Palms 

 found native in the United States are 

 limited in numbers, yet there is at least 

 one unique species in the group in the 

 form of Pxnidoplicenix Sargenti, a 

 miiii"typiL- Palm, that is only known to 

 ,.\ixt in a wil.l state on certain of the 

 l-Mi'fi.la Ki-\"s. and in quite limited num- 

 l.irs i-ven there. 



Euri)(>e is even less favored as to na- 

 tive I'alins, there being but one species 

 known there in that condition, Chamce- 

 miis lnin,ili.-i. also a fan-leaved species 

 .iul I 1 ii;in\il\ ti;ir.l\-, l)eing capable 



I I . r ■ ..|- III.. I'.ible is doubt- 

 less the Date Paim, /'.' . »- . ,l.i, i ,il,f, m . which is found 

 in large numbers tlirouj;hout Syria to this day; and in 

 fact the small grove of dates within easy reach of the 

 Syrian householder forms one of his most valuable 

 assets, for it provides food not only for his family, but 

 frequently for his horses or camels also. 



The act of producing flowers does not necessarily ter- 

 minate the life of a Palm, though in some instances 

 such an effect may be produced by this cause; but a 

 singular habit has been noted in regard to the flowering 

 of the Fish-tail Palm, Caryota wrens, which when it 

 reaches maturity begins to throw out a flower-spike 

 from the top of the stem, this being followed by succes- 

 sive spikes of flowers, and ultimate bunches of seeds 

 from the top of the plant downwards, the flower-spikes 

 appearing at the joints of the stem, and when this pro- 

 cess of flowering has proceeded down to the ground, or 

 until the vitality of the plant has been exhausted, death 

 ensues. 



There are also a number of species of Palms that de- 

 'velop a soboliferous habit, throwing up a number of 

 shoots from the base of the plant, BhapLt fhibeUifor- 



but the 



male and female flowers are produced on the same 

 spadix, in some instances the males being grouped to- 

 gether near the ends of the branches of the inflores- 

 cence and the females nearer to the main stem, while 

 in others a female is placed between two males, thus 

 arranging the flowers in threes. 



Cross-pollination of Palms by artificial means has 

 probably been seldom practiced, there being few culti- 

 vated collections in which the opportunity for such an 

 operation has presented itself; but it seems highly prob- 

 able that such cross-fertilization has been accidentally 

 effected among wild plants, for in large lots of seed- 

 lings intermediate forms arc fniincntiy seen, this pe- 

 culiarity having been ni,i,M ainonu llowea seedlings, 

 where forms intermediati.- li.i\v..ii //. /;, Imoreana and 

 H. Forsteriana are found, and sonutinies seedlings 

 that seem to combine the characteristics of H. Behno- 

 reana and those of its near relative Hedyscepe Canter- 

 buryana. Similar variations from a given type have 

 also been noted among the Phcpnix, several so-called 

 species l.rin^' niost likely merely varieties. 



Many I'nlnn nie aimed with stout thorns or prickles, 

 not only tlie siem, hut also the leaves and even the 

 fruits in some s|.eries iHung thus guarded, these prickles 

 being usually very hard and tough. In some cases, 

 notably Acanthorhiza staurutantha,the prickles around 

 the stem are often branched, and are decidedly un- 

 pleasant to come in contact with. In the case of Des- 

 monciis, this lieing the western representative of the 



PALM 



of the Sonfh American tribes, these arrows being pro- 

 j,.et..| tlnoiM-li II blow-pipe formed from a section of the 

 lioll" -111" III iinother Palm. Among the species of 



I'l II I!, ri found that several of the leaflets 



111 '■ I -e of the leaf are developed as spines, 



tie -I III 111- h ill. ts becoming stiff and hard, and capa- 

 ble of making a very sore wound. 



The very great economical value of many of the Palms 

 can only be touched upon within the limits of the pres- 

 ent arti<.le, the uses to which not only the fruits but also 



(•111 I ■ I I _- I I'l.iii-li i.r'ili. iii-i'hi- i.ilili'volumes. 



( 111. ■ ii,-i.nire 1,1 ilii^ -niii utility is the 



■s. other notalile exaiuiilt-s include the 

 the fruits of which are imported by 

 hundreds of tons every year, and 

 in addition to providing a valuable 

 food, either fresh or in a desiccated 

 condition, also produce that very 

 valuable fiber from which cordage, 

 matting and a great variety of 

 goods are manufactured. Also the 

 Phcenix family, which produces 

 the dates of commerce in appar- 

 ently endless supply, and the date 

 sugar of Bengal, this being con- 

 tributed by Phrrnix xylrratris. 

 while the stems of Date Paltns.are 

 often used in honsi -Imililini;' in the 

 East. Another very valuable Palm 

 product is found in Palm oil, this 

 being largelv derived from the 

 fruits of Ehks Gnineensis. the oil 



1625. Livistona 

 Chinensis. 



being expressed from the ripe fruits in much 

 manner that olive oil is manufactured. The rattan of 

 ,oniinen-e is chiefly composed of the flexible stems of 

 N iiriou^ i-alami, the plentiful supply of this material be- 

 MiL' -iiiliiiently attested by the great variety of articles 

 iiiamitactured therefrom. Various Palms have been 



