26 



THE WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY, 



know from the arrangement of its flowers that it belongs to this genus. Its 

 leaves are grass-like, mostly blunt at their apices and appear not dissimilar to 

 many a little clump of grass which is seen about the brackish waters of Florida. 



'. .^ ^^- 





THE PALM FAMILY. 



A distinctive group, composed of trees and shrubs 7vith a woody ste?n or 

 caudex, as it is called, and fan-shaped or pinnately-divided foliage the 

 groivth of which is continued by means of a terminal bud. The flowers 

 are very small and produced on a sort of spray, called a spadix. 



Occurring through our range there are besides the native palms two 

 exotic species which to many have become very familiar, the cocoanut, 

 Cocas nucifera and the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera. 



CABBAGE TREE, CABBAGE PALMETTO. 



Sabal Pahnetto. 



Stem : endogenous, erect. Leaves : from five to eight feet long, alternate ; with 

 Jong, smooth petioles which are sheathed at their bases with dry fibres ; fan-shaped, 



