THE PALi\[ FAMILV. ., 



been reported from Cape Romano to Cape Sabal and from Torch Key lo 

 Long Key. 



T. microcaypa, silver-top palmetto, or brittle tliatch, is of similar size to 

 the preceding tree and is more frequently seen than any other palm 

 on the keys of south Florida. It there inhabits dry, coral soil. Its great 

 leaves, with their quadrangular petioles with rounded edges, are from two to 

 three feet across and are covered underneath, at least when young, with a 

 bluish white tomentum. Above they are pale green. To below their middle 

 they are split into narrow divisions considerably thickened at their man-ins. 

 In April the spadix gracefully spreads its bloom. The fruit, the size of 

 which has suggested the tree's specific name, ripens in the late autumn or 

 early winter. It is round and projects a short remnant of the style. From 

 the trees' trunks, which are covered with a pale blue rind, wharf piles are 

 obtained, while its thick, coriaceous leaves thatch many a humble roof. 

 They are also made into a coarse sort of rope. 



Coccothrinax jitcunda, also an inhabitant of dry, coral ridges, occurs 

 along the shores of Bay Biscayne and on the southern Keys of Florida. It 

 becomes a tree of from fifteen to twenty-five feet high. Its large nearly 

 circular leaves are lightly tinted on the margins, lustrous above, either pale 

 blue or yellowish green, while underneath they are silvery white. The 

 spadix attains in flower a length often of two feet, and the tree is then, as 

 when in fruit and at all times, a splendid sight. Its seeds are brown or of a 

 tawny colour. 



C. Garberi appears to be a diminutive representation of the above and 

 grows on coral ridges near the shores of Bay Biscayne. It is a stemless 

 plant, delicate in growth and extremely pretty. The segments of the com- 

 paratively small leaves are about one half an inch broad and divided to their 

 bases. Much of the charm of the plant lies in the silvery satin-like texture 

 of the undersides of its foliage. 



BLUE PALMETTO. 



RhaphidophylluDi Hystrix. 



FAMILY SHAPE HEIGHT RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



FiiIdi. Shrubby. -^-6 feet. Florida to South Carolina. June.Jniy. 



Stem: short, two to three feet long, creeping or upright. Leaves : orbicular, fan- 

 shaped with triangular petioles, rough on their edges, and persistent net-like 

 sheaths, the numerous divisions two to four toothed at their apices, slightly glau- 

 cous. Spathes : t\vo-lip]jed, woolly. Spadix: from six inches to one foot long, 

 short peduncled. Petals : yellowish, ovoid. 



Through its range many natives know this palm and familiarly speak of it 

 as the blue palmetto. Perhaps it is more a sensibility than anything else 

 which makes them realise that it is different from others of the genus, for 

 few, it is safe to say, know its botanical peculiarities. 



