392 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 



CHARACTERS OF THE PALME.E 



The Palms are typically straight, single stemmed 

 plants, with a crown of leaves at the top. In a few there 

 is no stem, e.g. NI-PA FRUTICANS, Wurmb. which is 

 common on the shores of many Eastern tropical coun- 

 tries. Of others, e.g. CALAMUS, the stem is very long 

 and slender, climbing through and above the trees of a 

 forest by means of thorns (p. 108) ; these stems are cut 

 up and known familiarly as canes and from them are 

 manufactured such things as Rattan-cane, the split-cane- 

 matting of Indian houses, cane-bottoms for chairs, etc. 



The Palm stem usually bulges a little at the level of 

 the ground and tapers sharply below ground. There is 

 no tap-root, all the roots arising from the base of the stem. 



The leaf is very large and clasps the stem by a large 

 sheathing base, which often remains on the stem with 

 an untidy fibrous appearance for sometime after the 

 rest of the leaf has fallen. 



The leaves are pinnate (feather type) or palmately 

 folded and cut (fan type). In some the folding of 

 the leaflets or parts is like this A A A A in others like 

 this V V V V. (This formation distinguishes the leaf 

 of the Coco-nut from that of the Date). 



The young leaf stands erect, and before it unfolds 

 a thin strip of tissue may usually be seen covering 

 the edges or tips of the leaflets. This is very clear 

 in the young Date or OREODOXA, and is due to the 

 fact that the leaflets are not out-growths of the midrib, 

 as in dicotyledons, but formed by a splitting of the 

 blade as it grows, the splits extending from the midrib 

 not quite to the edge and leaving this strip. 



