388 



ORDER BOMBACEJE, OR SILK-COTTON TRIBE. 



bably extending much further. The height of the trunks, how- 

 ever, does not bear the usual proportion to their thickness, being 

 in general but little more than their diameter. In the interior 

 parts of Africa, at a distance from rivers, the trunks of these 

 trees are converted by the natives into tanks, their heads being 

 cut off, and their immense bodies hollowed out for the reception 

 of water, which m consequence of the softness and lightness of 

 the wood, is not a difficult task. On the eastern coast of Africa, 

 this tree is very liable -to be attacked by fungi, which prey upon 

 its heart-wood, and, without changing its general appearance, 

 destroy the life of the tree, and render the timber very soft. 

 Such trees are hollowed out by the natives as burial-places for 

 the bodies of those who are supposed to hold communion with 

 evil spirits ; and these, being suspended in the chambers thus 

 constructed, become dry, and are well preserved like mummies. 

 The bark of the Baobab yields a coarse thread, of which ropes 

 and cloths are made ; and its fruit contains a mealy pulp around 

 the seeds, which forms a wholesome and agreeable article of 

 food. 



553. The species yielding the Silk-Cotton of South America 

 is also a large tree having a light 

 wood ; this is frequently employed 

 for making canoes, and a single 

 trunk has been known thus to 

 hold 150 men, or twenty-five tons 

 of sugar. The tree derives its 

 name (Bomlax, resembling that of 

 the Silkworm), from the peculiarly 

 silky character of the hairs, which 

 surround the seeds, in the same 

 manner as the wool of the Cotton. 

 This wool is commonly used to 

 stuff cushions and beds ; and lint 

 and a sort of felt have been made 

 from it ; but it cannot be spun into 

 threads, in consequence, it is be- 

 lieved, of the absence of the minute roughnesses, which exist upon 



FIG. 144. BOMBAX. 



