47 



B. plumicnana, Mart., H. hideiUtda, Sprqce, B. balanophqraf CASE, 



Spruce, B. ripnria, Mart., &c., &c. ' , '' , ', "• 59 



No. 118. Fruits of the PupuNHA or Peach Palm i?ac- 

 tria minor f Jacq. (Guilielma speeiosn, MaH.). This is a 

 palm of, elegant habit, growing to a heiglit of GO feet, with a 

 perfectly erect, slender trunli, eovered with rings or bands of 

 long needle-like spines. The ]>alm is indigenous to the 

 countries near the Andes. The fruit is usually about the size 

 of an apricot, of a triangular oval shape, and of a reddish yellow 

 colour. It is mostly abortive, not developing its seed, antl 

 becomes a farinaceous mass. The fruits which do develop 

 their seeds are nearly double the usual size. In the villages 

 the trees ai'e often planted in large numbers for the sake of the 

 fruits which form an abundant and wholesome food. Wallace 

 saj'^s," As the stems are so spiny, it is impossible to climb up them 

 to procure the fruit in the ordinary way. The Indians there- 

 fore construct rough stages up the sides of the trees, or form 

 rude ladders, by securing cross pieces between two of them, 

 by which they mount so high as to be able to puU down the 

 bunches of fruit with hooked poles." The fruits are eaten 

 boiled or roasted, and are said to have a flavour of chestnuts 

 with a slightly oily taste. Ground into flour they are made into 

 cakes, or fermented in water they form a sub-acid creamy liquid. 

 The sharp spines are used by the natives for puncturing the 

 skin for the purpose of tattooing. The wood is of a very dark 

 colour and extremely hard. A specimen f roni Trinidad is shown 

 on a lower shelf. 



Observe photograph of a clunip of Peach Palms {B. minor) 

 from British Guiana. . , , . < . -,^ 



Note in lower part of Case portion of a sf)athe of tHe&RtAT 

 Macaw Palm {Acrocomia lcisiospatha,MaiTt.)j used iuJ.^MicB. 

 as a cap and as a strainer for cassava. ^. 



No. 119. Fruits of the;GRiJ Gj^^u qi Ma<?aw P a 1 .^l (Afrar 

 comia sclerocajpa, MavL), from Bahia. The tree grows from 

 20 to 30 feet high, and is found in Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad, 

 Guiana, and Brazil. The nut is very hard, and is sometimes 

 carved by the people. i* -: n' '•■ 



In the upper division of the Case are spadices of Acrocomia CASE 

 sclerocaj'pa, also of species of 3 fart Inez ia^ and fruits of M. go. 

 caryotfE folia, Humb. & Kunth. .; .- u . n 



No. 120. Beads, such as are usediti Western and Souiliern 

 Africa to barter for palm oil and other African produce. 



